LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 


V 


WUCrPSYZH 


'■) 


EDUCATIONAL  WORKS. 


ENGLISH. 

Alden's  Elements  of  Intellectual  Philosophy. 

Studies  ill  Bryant.     1  vol.,  24mo. 

Arnold's  History  of  Borne.     8vo,  cloth. 

Lectnres  on  Modern fHistory.    12mo,  cloth. 

Bain's  English  Composition  Und  Rhetoric.    1  vol.,  12rao. 

Mental  Science.     A  Compendium  of  Psychology  and 

History  of  Philosophy.     1  vol.,  12mo. 

Moral  Science*     A  Compendium  of  Ethics.     1  vol., 

12mo. 

Logic. 


Deductive  and  Inductive.  New  revised 
edition.     1  vol.,  12mo,  cloth. 

Bojesen  and  Arnold's  Manual  of  Grecian  and  Roman  An- 
tiquities. 

Coming's  Class-Book  of  Physiology,  for  the  Use  of  Schools 
and  Private  Families.  24  Plates  and  200  Woodcuts. 
New  edition,  with  Appendix.     12rao.     2*70  pages. 

Cornell's  First  Steps  in  Geography. 

Primary  Geography. 

Intermediate  Geography. 

■ Grammar-School  Geography. 

Physical  Geography. 

High-School  Geography  and  Atlas. 

Cards  for  the  Study  and  Practice  of  Map  Drawing. 

4to.     In  printed  cover. 


Series  of  Outline  Maps. 


Cox's  General  History  of  Greece.  1  vol.,  12mo,  cloth. 
Dcschanel's  (*.  P.)  Natural  Philosophy.  Translated  and 
edited,  with  extensive  Additions,  by  J.  D.  Everett,  Pro- 
fessor of  Natural  Philosophy  in  the  Queen's  College, 
Belfast.  Complete  in  Four  Parts.  Copiously  illus- 
trated : 

I.  Mechanics,  Hydrostatics,  and  Pneumatics.    8vo. 
II.  Heat.    8vo. 

III.  Electricity.     8vo. 

IV.  Sound  and  Light.   8vo. 

Complete  in  1  vol.,  8vo.     With  Problems  and  Index. 

Cloth. 


MA^n*i 


Gillespie's  Practical  Treatise  on  Surveying.  Copiously  illus- 
trated.    1  vol.,  8vo. 

Higher  Surveying.    1  vol.,  8vo. 

Graham's  English  Synonymes.      Edited  by  Prof.  Reed,  of 

Pennsylvania  University.     12mo. 
Greene's  History  of  the  Middle  Ages.    12mo. 
Henslow's  Botanical  Charts,  adapted  for  Use  in  the  United 
States.     By  Eliza  A.  Youmans.     Six  in  set,  handsomely 
colored. 
History  Primers.     Edited  by  J.  R.  Green,  M.  A. : 
Greece.     By  C.  A.  Fyffe,  M.  A.        j 
Rome.     By  M.  Creighton,  M.  A. 
Europe.     By  E.  A.  Freeman,  D.  C.  I.,  LL.  D. 
Old  Greek  Life.     By  A.  J.  Mahaffy.     32mo,  cloth. 
England.     By  J.  R.  Green,  M.  A. 
France.     By  Charlotte  M.  Yonge. 
Home  Pictures  of  English  Poets. 
How's  Shakespearean  Reader. 

Hnxley  and  Youmans's  Elements  of  Physiology  and   Hy- 
giene. 
Keightley's  Mythology  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
Krnsi's  Inventive  and  Free-Hand  Drawing. 

Synthetic  Series.     Four  Books  and  Manual. 

Analytic  Series.     Six  Books  and  Manual. 

Perspective  Scries.     Four  Books  and  Manual. 

— Advanced   Perspective  and  Shading  Series.     Four 

Books  and  Manual. 

Textile  Designs.  By  Prof.  Chas.  Kastner,  Massachu- 
setts Institute  of  Technology.     Six  Books. 

Outline  and  Relief  Designs.     By  Prof.  E.  C.  Cleaves, 

Cornell  University. 

Mechanical  Drawing.  By  Prof.  F.  B.  Morse,  Massa- 
chusetts Institute  of  Technology. 

Architectural   Drawing.      By  Prof.  Chas.  Babcock, 

Cornell  University.     Nine  Books. 

Machinery.     By  Prof.  J.  E.  Sweet,  Cornell  University. 

(In  preparation.) 

Civil  Engineering.    (In  preparation.) 

—  Ceramic  Art.     (In  preparation.) 

Interior  Decorations.    (In  preparation.) 


Latham's  Hand-Book  of  the  English  Language. 
Liddell  and  Scott's  Greek-English  Lexicon.    Abridged. 


v«> 


\,.\ 


V 


°4A^t><^. 


HISTORY 


oir 


ENGLAND, 


INVASION  OF  JULIUS  C^SAR  10  THE  REIUN 
OF  VICTORIA. 

j  i  k±  *  -:> 

A    NEW    EDITION,    REVISED    AND    ENLARGED 

WITH  QUESTIONS, 

ADAPTED    TO    SCHOOLS    IN    THE    UNITED    STAT  ISC?. 

BY  ELIZA  ROBBINS, 

AUTHOR    OF    "  AMERICAN    POPULAR    LP.fiSONS,"   ETC.,  KTO 


NEW  YORK: 

D.    A  PPL  ETON    AND    COMPANY. 

649   &   551   BROADWAY 

1619. 


E°U&PSYCH 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S4S, 

By  ELIZA  BOBBINS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States 

for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


PREFACE 


ft     ' 


fU- 


The  History  of  England,  entitled  Mrs.  Markham's. 
;i  as  written  by  a  mother  for  the  instruction  of  her 
own  children,  and  it  has  been,  and  still  is,  extensive- 
ly used  in  England.  In  its  original  form  the  con- 
struction is  essentially  domestic,  and  to  the  narrative 
portions  are  appended  conversations  between  a  mo- 
ther and  children  on  that  most  important  part  of  his- 
tory, the  successive  changes  that  have  taken  place 
in  Britain,  and  other  civilized  countries,  in  manners, 
arts,  and  humanity. 

Agreeable  as  this  form  of  instruction  may  be  in  a 
family,  it  is  altogether  inconvenient  in  a  school. 
There  is  nothing  more  needed  in  our  schools  than 
good  histories  ;  not  the  dry  compends  in  present 
use,  but  elementary  works  that  shall  suggest  the 
moral  uses  of  history,  and  the  Providence  of  God 
manifest  in  the  affairs  of  men. 

Mrs.  Markham's  History  was  used  by  that  mouei 
for  all  teachers,  the  late  Dr.  Arnold,  master  of  the 
great  English  school  at  Rugb}',  and  agrees  in  its 
character  with  his  enlightened  and  pious  views  oi 
leaching  history. 

It  is  now  several  years  since  I  adapted  this  His- 
tory to  the  form   and  the   price  acceptable  in  the 

068 


IV  PREFACE. 

schools  in  the  United  States.  I  ha\  e  recently  re- 
vised it,  and  trust  that  it  may  be  extensively  service 
able  in  education.  The  principal  alterations  from 
the  original  are  a  new  and  more  convenient  division 
of  paragraphs,  and  entire  omission  of  the  conversa- 
tions annexed  to  the  chapters.  In  place  of  these  I 
have  affixed  questions  to  every  page,  that  may  at 
once  facilitate  the  work  of  the  teacher  and  the  pupil. 
The  rational  and  moral  features  of  this  book  first 
commended  it  to  me,  and  I  have  used  it  successfully 
with  my  own  scholars. 

The  real  author  was  Elizabeth,  wife  of  the  Rev. 
John  Penrose,  a  native  of  England.  Mrs.  Penrose 
was  a  woman  of  rare  gifts  and  accomplishments 
She  died  at  Lincoln,  January  241  h,  1837. 

Eliza  Rcbbinq 

Nuvk  Yobk,  March  8,  1848. 


CONTENTS 


THE  BRITISH   EMPIRE. 

OHAl»TEB  |.  .  .  .....  <J 

Ancient  Britons — Roman  Invasion — The  Druids — Antiquitk a—  Prince 
Authur. 

Chapter  II IS 

Scots  and  Picts — Departure  of  tho  Romans — Saxon  Invasion — lutio- 
duction  of  Christianity  into  Britain. 

Chapter  III ...  23 

Alfred — His  education — His  virtues — The  Danes — The.r  ravages — 
Defeated  by  Alfred— Alfred's  death — Slate  of  England  in  this  reigu. 

Chapter  IV .....  35 

Saxon  Successors  of  Alfred — C.ergy — St.  Dunstan — Edwy  and  El 
giva — The  Northmen — Danish  Kings  of  England. 

Chapter  V 43 

From  Canute  to  the  Norman  conquest  —  Saxon  princes  restored — 
Battle  of  Hastings — Condition  of  the  people  of  England  under  the 
Saxons. 

Chapter  VI 50 

William  of  Normandy — Edgar  Atheling — Robert  and  William,  tl>e 
conqueror's  sons — Death  of  William — State  of  society  under  the  Nor- 
mans in  England. 

Chapter  VII 57 

William  II. — Injures  his  brother  Robert — Robert  goes  to  the  Holy 
Land — William  killed  in  the  New  Forest — Crusades. 

Chapter  VIII.    .        .  65 

Character  of  Henry  I. — Robert  returns  to  England—Succession  o 
prince  William  disputed — Prince  William  drowned — The  Empress  M» 
tilda — Henry  II.  dies  in  Normandy — Arts,  armor,  and  domestic  man 
ners  of  the  English — Chivalry. 

Chapter  IX 78 

Usurpation  of  Stephen — Civil  war  in  England — Stephen  taken  prison 
er — Matilda  abuses  her  own  power — withdraws  into  Normandy- -The 
succession  settled  on  Henry  Matilda's  son — Stephen  dies. 

Chapter  X.  St! 

Henry  II. — his  education — his  abilities — grants  a  charter  to  the  peopk 
— Invades  and  conquers  Ireland — Thomas  a  Becket — his  exaltation— 
his  death — Henry  does  «enance  for  the  death  of  Becket — Henry's  do 
mestic  affairs — his  death — Learning  and  customs  in  England. 

Chapter  XI.      ........  94 

Richard  I. — His  foreign  enterprises — Richard  at  Acre — Ruturns  to  Eu 
rope — made  a  prisoner  in  Germany — Ransomed — returns  to  England  - 
Killed  at  Chalus — Disorders  in  England. 


VI  CONTENTS. 

Chapter  XII .  105: 

John,  a  despicable  prince — Authur  of  Bretagne — John  loses  Normandy 
— quarrels  with  the  Pope — persecutes  the  Jews — John  makes  submis 
sion  to  the  Pope — opposed  by  the  barons — grants  Magna  Charta — De 
pressed  condition  of  the  English  people  in  this  reign — John's  death. 

Chapter  XIII.  109 

Henry  III.  succeeds  his  fatner — attempts  to  recover  Normandy — Civil 
war  between  the  king  and  the  barons — Prince  Edward  defends  his  fa- 
ther's cause — joins  the  last  Crusade — Henry  III.  dies — Progress  of  so- 
ciety and  of  science  in  England. 

chapter  XIV .118 

Edward  I. — His  policy — makes  war  wiln  the  Welsh — Affairs  of  Soot 
land — Edward  loses  Guienne — Sir  William  Wallace — Edward  I.  dies 
— his  character — Trade  in  England — the  Tournament. 

Chapter  XV.      .  i25 

Edward  II. — a  weak  prince — Robert  Bruce — Battle  of  Bannockburn — 
Queen  Isabella  rebels  against  her  husband — Edward  II.  deposed  and 
murdered — Manners  of  the  Scots  and  English  in  this  reign. 

Chapter  XVI. J32 

Edward  III. — an  inexperienced  youth,  but  soon  manifests  abdity — a 
warlike  prince — punishes  his  mother — makes  war  with  the  king  of  Scot 
land — with  the  French — the  Black  Prince — Battle  of  Cressy — Siege  o( 
Calais — War  with  France  prolonged — King  David  Bruce — The  Black 
Prince  engages  in  the  affairs  of  Spain — dies — Edward  the  III.  dies — 
Amusements  of  the  English. 

Chapter  XVII .  ...        147 

Richard  II. — son  of  the  Black  Prince — the  people  rebel  against  Richard 
— Wat  Tyler — Richard's  presence  of  mind — his  deterioration — loses  his 
popularity — Battle  of  Otterburne.  between  the  English  and  Scots — Henry 
Bolingbroke  banished — returns  to  England — assumes  the  Crown — Rich- 
ard II.  dies  at  Pontefract  castle — Reformation  commences — Wickliffe 
— Manners  of  the  age — Language  and  literature — Liberty  of  thought. 

Chapter  XVIII 160 

Henry  IV.  succeeds  Richard  II. — Owen  Glendower — Battle  of  Homil- 
don  Hill — The  Percies  rebel  against  the  king — James  I.  of  Scotland — 
a  prisoner  in  England — his  history  and  character  interesting — Prince 
Henry — his  good  and  bad  qualities — The  king  dies — state  of  religion  in 
England  during  this  reign. 

Chapter  XIX .        .        .        .        169 

Henry  V. — abandons  the  follioj  of  his  youth — his  generosity — Lord 
Cobham — one  of  the  earliest  Reformers  in  England — Henry  V.  makes 
war  with  France— Battle  of  Azincourt — Duke  of  Burgundy  assassinated 
— Henry  V.  marries  the  princess  Catharine  of  France — he  dies — Com- 
forts of  life  comparatively  few  in  England  in  this  age. 

Chapter  XX.      .  ...  79 

Henry  VI. — Affairs  in  France — Joan  of  Arc — Henry  marries  Margaret 
of  Anjou — The  duke  of  York  claims  the  crown — England  thrown  into 
a  state  of  insurrection  and  tumult — The  Yorkists  prevail  over  the  king's 
party — The  Duke  of  York  killed — his  son  proclaimed  king — Parlia 
military  power — sta*.c  of  the  English  navy,  and  of  trade  in  thio  reign 


CONTENT  ■$.  Vli 

Chapter  XXI. W 

Edward  IV.— a  warlike  prince — Margaret  eudenvars  to  cblair  the 
throne  for  her  son — The  battle  of  Hexham — Lancastrians  suffer  great 
distress — Henry  VI.  restored — Lancastrians  finally  defeated — Edwnrd 
IV.  reinstated— dies — Printing  introduced  into  England. 

Chapter  XXII 20£ 

Edward  V. — Richard,  duke  of  Gloucester — his  dissirnulati  )n — LorG 
Hastings  beheaded — young  princes  murdered — Gloucester  crowned 
king — Popular  amusements  in  England  in  this  reign. 

Chapter  XXIII 207 

Richard  III. — conspiracy  formed  against  him — Earl  of  Richmond — 
collects  an  army — Richard  encounters  the  earl  of  Richmond — killed  at 
Bosworth  Field — The  Plantagenet  kings. 

Chapter  XXIV.  ...  .  .        212 

Henry  VII. — His  cnaracter — Simnel,  an  impostor,  pretends  to  the  crowr 
of  England — Perkin  Warbeck  does  the  same — Formidable  insurrection 
— Henry  at  last  reigns  in  peace — He  dies — Extraordinary  changes  in 
tenure  of  property,  and  the  military  service  in  England — Discovery  un- 
do taken  by  the  English. 

Chapter  XXV .        .        22, 

Henry  VIII.  succeeds  his  father — Cardinal  Wolsey — Henry  goes  to 
France — his  contemporaries  Francis  I.  and  Charles  V. — Festivities  in 
France — Catharine — Anne  Boleyn — Cranmer — Henry  quarrels  with  the 
Pope — Suppresses  monasteries — makes  war  with  Scotland — Hemy 
dies — Bible  translated  in  this  reign — the  Reformation  advanced. 

Chapter  XXVI 239 

Edward  VI. — Somerset  the  protector — Religious  disturbances — Ed- 
ward a  Protestant — his  health  declines — He  dies — Church  of  England 
— progress  of  Reformation. 

Chapter  XXVII.        .        .  .  ...  245 

Mary — Lady  Jane  Grey — Mary  persecutes  the  Protestants — marries 
Philip  of  Spain — Gardiner  and  Bonner — persecutors  of  Protestants — 
Martyrs — Philip  quits  England — Mary  dies — Manners  in  EngUnddu 
ring  this  reign. 

Ckafter  XXVIII.  255 

Queen  Elizabeth — popular  with  the  English  nation — a  Protestant- 
chooses  wise  ministers — refuses  to  marry — Mary,  queen  of  Scots — hej 
follies  and  misfortunes — a  prisoner  in  England — Mary  beheaded — Span- 
ish invasion — Elizabeth  conducts  herself  admirable  in  this  juncture — 
Armada  dispersed — Earl  of  Essex — Elizabeth  dies — Condition  of  Eng- 
land. 

CHAPTER  XXIX *  .  STJI 

James  I. — Lady  Arabella  Stuart — Sir  Walter  Raleigh — James  a  peaco 
a.)le  prince — Prince  Charles  marries  Henrietta  Maria  of  Franco- 
Prince  Henry — death  of  the  king. 

Chapter  XXX. 260 

Charles  I. — a  well  disposed,  not  a  wise  man — The  duke  of  Buckingham 
—Sir  Thomas  Wentworth — Archbishop  Laud — Charles  unpopular  in 
Scotland — Lord  Stafford  executed — Rebellion  in  Ireland — Civil  war  ill 
England — Cromwell — war  continued — religious  Sects — Charles  iuad«! 
Otiboncr  by  the  parliament — Executed. 


vni  -  rn.v  TENTS. 

Chapter  XXXI. 31i 

The  Commonwealth— Prince  Charles — Cromwell  maintains  his  p<  wei 
— Charles  withdraws  to  the  continent — Cromwell  abolishes  the  piuiiu- 
ment — His  sons — Cromwell  dies 

Chapter  XXXII.        .  225j 

Charles  II. — The  Restoration — The  regicides — Chuich  affairs— Navui 
battles  with  the  Dutch — Plague  in  England — great  fiie  of  London — 
Civil  troubles — Charles  dies — Profligacy  of  manners  in  England  at  thifc 
time. 

Chapter  XXXIII 331 

James  II. — Monmouth's  conspiracy — James  a  Catholic — William  ol 
Nassau  invited  to  England — James  abdicates  the  throne — takes  refuge 
in  France — Mr.  Boyle. 

Chapter  XXXIV 337 

William  III. — not  well  suited  to  the  English — Battle  of  Killikrankie — 
Jarnes  lands  in  Ireland — Battle  of  the  Boyne — Massacre  of  Glencoe — 
Queen  Mary  dies — William  dies — National  debt. 

Chapter  XXXV .        315 

Queen  Anne — Whigs  and  Tories — Sir  George  Rooke — Marlborough — 
Lord  Peterborough — The  pretender — the  Union  with  Scotland — death 
of  Anne — Sir  Isaac  Newton 

Chapter  XXX  VI 351 

George  I. — Lewis  XIV  aids  the  pretender— He  lands  in  Scotland — hia 
adherents  punished — The  South  Sea  Scheme — George  I.  visits  Hano- 
ver— dies  at  Osnaburgh. 

Chapter  XXXVII 354 

George  II. — engages  in  a  continental  war — Prince  Charles,  the  young 
pretender  kindles  war  in  Scotland — advances  into  England — is  forced 
back — defeated  atCulloden — War  in  America  with  the  French — Treaty 
of  Aix-la-Chapelle — George  II.  dies — The  last  of  the  Stuarts. 

Chapter  XXXVIII 3GJ 

George  III. — European  warfare — American  war  of  Independence — 
Lord  Chatham — pretences  for  war — French  Revolution — Bonaparte- 
Peninsular  war — Sir  John  Moore — Lord  Wellington — Bonaparte  sent 
to  Elba — Battle  of  Waterloo — General  peace  in  Europe — George  III 
dies. 

Chapter  XXXIX 381 

Conclusion— George  IV.— William  IV.— British  India— Queen  Victorio 
-  Chinese  war— War  in  Affghanistan— Sir  Robert  Peel—  Prospects  ol 
Britain. 


ENGLISH    HISTORY 


THE    BRITISH    EMPIRE 

Of  all  countries  upon  the  globe  there  is  none  of  which 
the  history  is  more  interesting  to  the  American  than  Greai 
Britain.  To  most  of  us  it  is  the  country  of  our  ancestors, 
and  is  that  from  which  our  language  and  many  of  our 
institutions  are  derived.  At  the  present  time  there  is  no 
nation  upon  earth  of  greater  resources  in  learning  and 
science,  in  wise  men  and  useful  arts  ;  no  nation,  in  despite 
of  some  traits  of  character  which  are  neither  to  be  ad- 
mired or  imitated,  in  which  religion  and  literature,  virtue 
and  happiness,  liberty  of  thought  and  freedom  of  speech, 
security  of  property  and  authority  of  law,  are  so  generally 
enjoyed  as  in  England. 

We  have  only  to  go  back  in  past  time,  a  little  more  than 
eighteen  centuries,  and  we  shall  find  the  present  highly 
cultivated,  civilized,  and  wealthy  country  of  Great  Britain, 
the  abode  of  savage  and  hostile  tribes,  sunk  in  heathenism 
and  ignorance,  without  comfortable  habitations  or  decent 
garments. 

'  Time  was,  when  clothing  sumptuous  of  for  use 
Save  their  own  painted  skins,  our  sires  had  none." 

Cowper's  Task. 

At  the  present  time,  (1848,)  the  country  which  was  once 
so  rude  and  poor,  is  not  only  a  powerful  and  rich  kingdom 
within  itself,  but  its  dominions  extends  to  every  sea,  and 
every  quarter  of  the  globe.  The  following  account  of  the 
British  Empire  is  taken  from  Hale's  Geography. 


2  RXULISH   HISTORY. 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GREAT  BRITAIN  AX  D   [R ELAND 

The  kingdom  of  Great  Britian  consists  of  the  ancieni 
Kingdoms  of  England,  Scotland,  Wales,  and  Ireland 
Besides  these,  the  British  empire  includes  a  great  numbci 
of  foreign  possessions,  viz  : — 

In  Europe,  Gibraltar,  the  Island  of  Malta,  in  the  Medi- 
terranean sea,  and  Heligoland,  in  the  German  Ocean. 

In  America,  Upper  and  Lower  Canada,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  New-Brunswick,  Prince  Edward's  Island,  and  New- 
foundland. Besides  these  Colonies,  British  America 
embraces  extensive  tracts  of  unsettled  country  north  of 
Canada.  Jamaica  and  other  islands  in  the  West  Indies, 
also  belong  to  the  British. 

Extensive  possessions  in  India,  New  Holland,  Van 
Diemen's  Land,  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  othe-  parts 
of  Africa,  are  subject  to  Britain. 

ENGLAND  AND   WALKS. 

This  country  is  bounded  north  by  Scotland,  east  by  the 
German  Ocean,  south  by  the  English  channel,  which 
separates  it  from  France,  and  west  by  St.  George's  chan- 
nal,  which  separates  it  from  Ireland.  England  consists  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  island  of  Great  Britain,  and  Wales 
occupies  the  western  part.  England  is  divided  into  40, 
and  Wales  into  12  counties. 

The  principal  rivers  in  England,  are  the  Thames, 
Severn,  Medway,  Trent,  Ouse,  Mersey,  and  Avon.  The 
present  population  of  England  and  Wales,  is  16,000,000 
About  one-third  of  the  inhabitants  are  employed  in  agri 
culture,  and  nearly  half  in  trade,  manufactures,  and  tho 
mechanic  arts.  The  nobility  and  great  proprietors  of  land, 
being  about  one-sixth  of  the  whole  population,  derive  their 
subsistence  from  their  estates. 

England  is  the  most  commercial  country  in  the  world. 

Of  whaf  does  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire.and  consist? 
What  are  the  British  possessions  in  Europe  ? — In  An  erica  I — Aoiu  J 
-and  Africa? 
What  are  England  and  Wales,  and  how  divided  ? 
What  is  the  population  of  England  and  Wales,  18331 
How  do  the  people  subsist  ? 
What  is  the  commerce  of  England? 


ENGLISH   HISTORV.  3 

and  by  its  commerce  has  become  the  richest.  Her  mer- 
chants trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  particularly 
with  her  colonies  in  the  East  and  West  Indies  and  hi 
America,  with  China,  with  South  America,  and  with  the 
United  States. 

The  people  of  Great  Britain  have  acquired  great  skill 
in  the  manufacture  of  every  description  of  goods,  particu- 
larly cotton,  woolen,  and  silk  goods  of  all  sorts,  as  well 
as  earthen  and  glass  ware,  and  all  articles  made  of  iron, 
and  other  metals. 

England  is  immensely  rich  in  its  mines  of  coal  and 
iron,  and  its  manufacturing  operations  are  greatly  aided 
by  these  treasures. 

The  government  is  a  limited  monarchy.  The  title  of 
the  sovereign  is,  King  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Great 
Britain  and  Ireland.  On  the  death  of  the  King  he  is  suc- 
ceeded by  his  eldest  son,  if  he  have  any,  or  by  his  eldest 
daughter  in  defect  of  sons,  and,  if  he  has  no  children,  by 
the  children  of  his  father  in  the  same  order.  The  present 
sovereign  of  Great  Britain  is  Queen  Victoria,  though 
Kings  usually  reign  over  this  kingdom. 

The  King  is  personally  responsible  for  little  else  than 
ihe  appointment  of  his  ministers.  He  often  appoints  only 
the  prime  minister,  who  with  his  approbation,  selects  all 
the  rest.  All  the  executive  acts  of  the  government  are 
performed  in  the  name  of  the  King,  but  the  ministers  are 
responsible  for  them. 

The  King  makes  war  and  peace,  negotiates  treaties, 
raises  armies,  makes  appointments  to  offices,  civil  and 
military, — in  his  name  justice  is  administered — to  him  be- 
long the  forts,  arsenals,  and  ships  of  war — he  convenes, 
prorogues,  and  dissolves  the  Parliament  at  pleasure,  and 
his  assent  is  necessary  to  the  validity  of  a  law.  But  the 
revenues  are  raised,  and  laws  are  passed  only  by  act  oi 
Parliament. 

Th.3  Parliament  is  a  legislative  body,  consisting  of  two 
branches ;  the  House  of  Lords  and  the  House  of  Com- 
mons.    The  House  of  Lords  consists  of  peers  of  the  realm 

What  arc  the  manufactures  ? 

What  the  mineral  productions  ? 

What  is  the  present  government  of  Great  Britain? 

What  is  the  King's  function? 

What  is  the  British  Parliament . 


4  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

ind  the  archbishops  and  bishops.  The  peers  are  a  part 
of  the  hereditary  nobility,  who  among  other  privileges 
which  descend  from  the  father  to  the  eldest  son,  have  the 
right  of  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Lords.  The  King  has 
the  power  of  raising  any  individual  to  the  peerage.  This 
promotion  is  generally  granted  as  a  reward  for  distin- 
guished services  to  the  state. 

The  House  of  Commons  consists  of  658  members,  who 
are  elected,  part  by  the  electors  of  the  counties,  part  by 
certain  cities  and  boroughs,  and  two  members  by  each  of 
the  ancient  universities.  They  may  hold  their  seats  for 
.seven  years,  unless  the  Parliament  is  sooner  dissolved  by 
the  King,  in  which  case  a  new  election  of  all  the  mem- 
bers is  necessary. 

But  a  small  part  of  the  people  of  Great  Britain  possess 
the  right  of  voting.  Votes  are  frequently  purchased.  The 
members  of  Parliament  receive  no  pay  for  their  attendance. 

There  is  an  Established  Church,  of  which  the  King  is 
the  nominal  head,  and  in  which  there  are  two  archbishops, 
twenty-four  bishops,  and  a  great  number  of  inferior  clergy. 
The  number  of  the  clergy  of  the  Established  Church  is 
11,600. 

The  present  effective  force  of  the  British  anny  is  88,000 
men,  exclusive  of  the  forces  employed  by  the  East  India 
Company.  This  force  includes  the  troops  which  are 
stationed  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  and  those  in  the 
foreign  possessions,  except  India.  The  East  India  Com- 
pany maintains  in  addition  a  force  of  20,000  men. 

The  British  navy  is  much  the  largest  in  the  world.  The 
whole  number  of  ships  of  war  is  600.  The  number  now 
in  commission  is  147,  of  which  14  are  ships  of  the  line. 

There  are  two  ancient  universities,  one  at  the  town  of 
Cambridge,  and  the  other  at  the  city  of  Oxford.  Cam- 
bridge University  has  thirteen  colleges,  several  of  which 
are  superb  buildings,  and  four  halls.  It  has  many  rich 
endowments,  and  has  eighteen  professors,  and  many  othei 


What  is  the  House  of  Commons  ? 

How  are  members  of  Parliament  elected  T 

What  is  the  Established  Church  of  Great  Britain  ! 

What  is  the  British  Army  ? 

What  is  the  Navy  ? 

What  are  the  Uncersities? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  0 

officers.  Oxfoid  University  has  twenty  colleges  and  five 
halls.  Many  of  these  are  large  and  splendid  buildings. 
The  revenues  of  the  University  are  very  great.  The 
number  of  members  of  the  University  is  about  3,000. 

London  is  the  capital  of  England,  and  of  the  British 
empire.  It  is  the  richest  and  most  populous  city  in  the 
world.  It  is  situated  on  the  River  Thames,  and  embraces, 
besides  what  is  strictly  called  the  City  of  London,  the  City 
and  Liberties  of  Westminster,  and  several  out  parishes  in 
the  counties  of  Middlesex  and  Surrey.  It  is  seven  miles 
in  length,  and  from  two  to  four  miles  in  breadth,  and  con- 
tains nearly  two  millions  of  inhabitants. 


SCOTLAND 


I 


Scotland  consists  of  all  that  part  of  the  Island  of  Great 
Britain  which  lies  north  of  the  river  Tweed,  and  is  bound- 
ed north,  east  and  west,  by  the  sea,  and  south  by  England 
Scotland  is  divided  into  33  counties  or  shires. 

Scotland  is  divided  into  the  Highlands  and  LoAvlands. 
The  Highlands,  corsisting  of  the  northern  and  central 
parts,  are  mountainous  and  sterile,  and  but  a  small  pro- 
portion of  the  lands  are  fit  for  cultivation.  The  Lowlands, 
consisting  of  the  southern  and  eastern  parts,  have  a  resem- 
blance to  England,  and  abound  in  fertile  plains. 

The  population  of  Scotland  is  a  little  over  two  millions. 
Their  general  character  is  that  of  a  frugal,  industrious, 
and  well-instructed  people.  A  portion  of  the  Highlanders 
have  not  adopted  all  the  arts  of  civilized  life.  They  re- 
tain their  peculiar  dress,  manners,  and  language.  Educa 
tion  is  much  attended  to. 

Scotland,  forming  apart  of  the  United  Kingdom  of  Greai 
Britain  and  Ireland,  is  under  the  same  government,  but  its 
taws  are  in  many  respects  different,  and  its  courts  and 
forms  of  judicial  proceeding  are  entirely  different.  Scot- 
land chooses  45  members  of  the  House  of  Commons,  in 
each  Parliament,  and  the  Scotch  Peers,  who  are  not  Peery 


What  is  the  capital  of  Britain,  and  how  described  ? 

What  is  Scotland,  and  how  divided? 

What  is  the  population  of  Scotland,  and  its  general  chara-  .ter  : 

What  is  the  government  of  Scotland 


0  ENGLISH    H1ST0RV. 

of  Great  Britain,  choose  from  their  number  10  to  sit  in  liu? 
House  of  Lords. 

The  prevailing  religion  of  Scotland  is  Calvinism,  and 
the  established  form  of  church  government  is  Presby 
terian. 

Edinburgh,  the  metrrpolis  of  Scotland,  is  a  very  hand- 
some city,  and  has  a  population  of  140,000.  It  is  situated 
on  the  Firth  of  Forth. 

IRELAND. 

Ireland  is  an  Island  in  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  situated  west 
of  England.  It  is  divided  into  four  provinces,  viz  ^  Lein- 
ster,  Ulster,  Connaught,  and  Minister,  and  into  32  counties. 

The  population  is  estimated  to  be  about  7,000,000.  In 
consequence  of  the  denseness  of  the  population,  and  the 
difficulty  of  finding  productive  employments,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  people  are  in  abject  poverty. 

About  four-fifths  of  the  people  are  Roman  Catholics, 
and  it  has  been  a  subject  of  perpetual  complaint,  that  they 
were  excluded  by  their  religion  from  a  seat  in  parliament, 
and  from  other  offices.  These  disabilities  were  remov- 
ed (1729)  removed  by  an  act  of  the  British  parliament. 

Dublin  is  the  capital.  It  is  a  large  and  handsome  city, 
of  240,000  inhabitants,  situated  on  a  beautiful  bay,  at  to? 
mouth  of  the  river  LilTey, 

BRITISH    INDIA. 

The  population  of  Hindostan  is  supposed  to  amount  to 
128,000,000.  Of  this  immense  population,  115,000,000 
are  subject  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  government  of  the 
EiUglish  East  India  Company. 

There  are  in  Hindostan  a  number  of  native    princes 


What  is  the  prevailing  religion  of  Scotland  1 

What  is  the  capital  of  Scotland  ? 

What  is  Ireland,  and  how  divided  1 

What  is  the  population  of  Ireland,  and  its  general  condition 

What  is  the  prevailing  religion  of  Ireland  1 

What  is  the  government  of  Ireland  7 

What  is  its  capital  ? 

What  portion  of  the  population  of  India,  is  subject  lo  Britain  ? 

What  Princes  of  Hindostan  h?ve  become  tributary  to  Britain? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  » 

called  Rajahs,  or  Nabobs,  who  have  become  tributary  t;i 
the  government  of  the  East  India  Company,  and  placed 
themselves  under  their  protection.  These  tributary  states 
have  a  population  estimated  at  33,000,000. 

The  rest  of  the  country,  containing  a  population  of 
82,000,000,  is  under  the  immediate  government  of  the 
officers  of  the  Company.  For  the  purposes  of  administra- 
tion the  country  is  divided  into  three  presidencies,  in  each 
of  which  there  is  a  distinct  government.  These  are  the 
presidency  of  Bengal,  which  embraces  the  north-eastern 
provinces  of  India;  that  of  Madras,  which  embraces  the 
southern  provinces ;  and  that  of  Bombay,  embracing  the 
western  provinces. 

The  East  India  Company,  who  are  in  fact  the  sovereigns 
of  this  country,  is  established  in  London,  and  the  supreme 
government  exists  there,  and  consists  of  a  Board  of  Com- 
missioners, and  a  Couit  of  Directors  of  twenty-four  mem- 
bers. The  government  in  India  consists  of  a  governor 
and  council  in  each  oresidency.  The  governor  of  the 
presidency  of  Bengal  has  the  title  of  Governor- General, 
and  he  is,  in  the  name  of  the  East  India  Company,  tht' 
Supreme  Chief  of  Political  and  Military  Affairs,  the  othei 
governors  being  subordinate  to  him. 

The  army  of  the  company  consists  of  20,000  European 
and  180,00*0  native  troops.      ^ 

What  territories  in  India  are  subject  to  Britair  ? 

What  is  the  East  India  Company  ? 

What  is  the  army  of  the  Rust  India  Company  t 


ENGLISH    HISTORY 


CHAPTER    1. 

Fifty  five  years  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  Julius  Cifcbui 
the  Roman  general,  was  in  Gaul.  That  country,  now 
called  France,  is  separated  from  the  island  of  Great 
Britain  by  a  channel  so  narrow  in  one  place,  between 
Dover  and  Calais,  that  the  white  cliffs  of  Dover  are  dis- 
cernible from  the  opposite  coast. 

Cornwall,  at  the  western  extremity  of  the  island,  is  still 
famous  for  its  tin  mines,  and  this  metal  was  as  useful  to  the 
ancients  as  it  is  to  us.  The  merchants  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean, from  a  period  not  exactly  ascertained,  had  trafficked 
in  tin  with  the  Britons,  and  the  features  oi  the  country 
were  become  familiar  to  the  mariners  who  went  thither 
in  the  age  of  Caesar. 

By  their  means  Britain  was  made  known  to  the  Romans, 
and  when  Caesar  was  in  Gaul,  he  thought  it  desirable  to 
get  possession  of  that  country.  With  the  Romans,  without 
regard  to  the  rights  and  feelings  of  those  they  dispossessed, 
to  desire  and  to  seize  was  almost  the  same  impulse,  and 
without  caring  for  the  sufferings  of  the  inoffensive  inha- 
bitants of  the  long-neglected  island,  the  Roman  general 
invaded  their  shores. 

B  C  55  ^tn  a  f°rce  which  he  deemed  sufficient  to 
conquer  the  island,  Caesar  sailed  from  Gav.1 
to  the  British  coast,  but  it  is  said  that,  on  approaching 
Dover,  the  number  and  ferocious  appearance  of  the  nativen 
rather  daunted  the  Romans,  so  that  they  landed  at  Deal 
where  the  shore  is  flat,  and  they  could  more  easily  cope 


What  separates  Gaul  from  Britain  1 

By  what  circumstances  were  the  people  of  Europe  made  acquainted 
v*ith  Britain  1 
Had  the  Romans  just  notions  of  the  rights  of  men  ? 
When  and  where  did  Cajsar  land  in  Britain? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  9 

with  the  natives,  who  attempted  to  prevent  theii  landing 
which,  however,  the  Romans  effected. 

The  Britons,  though  slightly  clothed,  appear  to  have  had 
at  that  time  some  knowledge  of  the  art  of  defence  and  the 
use  of  metal,  for  they  had  war-chariots  drawn  by  horses, 
and  sharp  scythes  fixed  to  the  axletrees  of  their  wheels, 
which  were  very  destructive  in  battle,  nor  did  they  fly  from 
the  invincible  Romans  without  a  struggle  against  their 
encroachments.  Caesar  obtained  little  by  the  invasion  ol 
Britain,  but  from  his  time  it  is  probable  that  a  Roman  gar- 
rison was  stationed  there,  and  that  the  Latin  language  was 
introduced.  Perhaps  some  of  the  customs  and  arts  of 
civilized  people  were"  also  introduced  and  tribute  may 
have  been  paid  to  the  conquerors. 

It  is  related  by  the  older  historians  of  Britain  that  the 
Romans  were  at  first  opposed  by  a  British  general  named 
Cassibelan,  (sometimes  written  Cassivelaunus,)  and  that  a 
nephew  of  this  general,  at  enmity  with  Cassibelan,  became 
such  a  favorite  of  the  Romans  that  he  was  sent  to  Rome 
to  be  educated.  This  youth,  named  Cymbeline,  says  the 
story,  was  caressed  by  Augustus,  and  called  the  friend 
of  the  Roman  people. 

In  the  early  age  of  Roman  conquests,  the  Romans  were 
exceedingly  cruel  to  their  captives,  but  in  later  times  they 
altered  their  policy.  They  liked  to  have  hereditary  princes 
of  partially  conquered  countries  come  to  their  capital,  and 
dwell  there,  that  they  might  learn  their  language  and  laws, 
and  respect  their  power  ;  and,  when  they  should  return  to 
their  own  land,  they  might  dispose  their  subjects  to  submit 
to  their  wiser  conquerors.  The  invasion  of  the  Romans 
was  the  first  introduction  of  civilization  among  the  Britons. 

The  southern  part  of  the  island,  since  called  Britain, 
was  then  Albion ;  and  its  northern  portion,  the  present 
Scotland,  was  Caledonia.     The  southern  country  was  di 
vided  among  independent  tribes  of  whom  the  chief  w«»r*i 
'he  Ieeni,  the  Trinobantes,  and  the  Silures. 


What  were  the  means  of  defence  used  by  the  Britons  ? 

What  were  the  first  results  of  Caesar's  invasion  ? 

Did  the  Romans  show  any  favor  to  the  Britons  ? 

Was  the  Roman  policy  humanized  as  its  power  waa  extended  V 

What  were  the  ancient  divisions,  of  Uhtaiu ' 


10  ENGLISH   HISTORV. 

.  n  4°  '^ne  Roman  emperors  for  near!};  a  century 
paid  little  attention  to  Britain,  but  ninety- 
seven  years  .after  the  invasion  of  Caesar,  an  army  of  fifty 
thousand  men  was  sent  thither  under  the  command  oi 
Aldus  Plautius.  The  Britons  defended  themselves  and 
their  country  with  great  bravery  ;  but  their  imperfect  skill 
in  the  art  of  war  could  not  withstand  the  Roman  power 
and  discipline. 

The  last  of  the  British  princes  who  resisted  the  Romans 
was  Caractacus.  After  several  battles  he  was  defeated, 
taken  prisoner,  and  carried  to  Rome.  In  Rome,  Caracta- 
cus, with  his  captive  wife  and  children,  were  compelled  to 
walk  in  chains  through  the  streets  ;  and  the  emperor  and 
empress,  and  the  inhabitants  of  that  great  city  generally, 
being  accustomed  to  such  spectacles,  were  not  probably 
much  affected  with  this,  which  would  so  deeply  grieve  and 
offend  us  of  the  present  more  humane  age  of  the  world. 

Caractacus  did  not  submit  tamely  to  this  indignity,  and 
made  such  a  moving  speechto  the  emperor,  that  he  ordered 
his  fetters  to  be  taken  off,  and  ever  afterwards  treated  him 
with  kindness.  The  Romans,  notwithstanding  their  vic- 
tories in  Britain,  advanced  slowly  in  gaining  possession 
of  the  island.  They  had  only  built  a  few  castles,  or  forts, 
and  established  one  military  colony,  when  Suetonius  Pau  ■ 
£nus,  a  great  general,  resolved  to  finish  the  conquest   >j 

~g>- A 

To  convey  a  proper  notion  of  the  enterprise  of  Suetonius, 
it  is  necessary  here  to  describe  briefly  the  religion  of  the 
ancient  Britons,  fork  was  connected  with  their  government, 
and  aided  resistance  to  their  foreign  enemies.  According 
to  Goldsmith,  "  The  religion  of  the  Britons  was  one  of  the 
most  considerable  parts  of  their  government ;  and  tho 
Druids,  who  were  the  guardians  of  it,  possessed  great  au- 
-thority  among  them.  No  species  of  superstition  was  ever 
moi  e  terrible  than  theirs;  besides  the  severe  penalties  which 
they  were  permitted  to  inflict  in  this  world,  they  inculcated 


What  happened  in  Britain,  A.  D.  43? 

Who  was  the  British  prince  carried  captive  to  Rome  ? 

How  was  Caractacus  finally  treated  by  the  Roman  emperov  ? 

Who  were  the  Druids,  and  what  were  their  doctrines  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTOKY 


11 


the  doctrine  of  transmigration  of  souls,  and  thus  extended 
their  authority  as  far  as  the  fears  of  their  votaries. 

•■  They  sacrificed  human  victims,  which  they  burned  iv 
large  wicker  idols,  made  so  capacious  as  to  contain  a  mul- 
titude of  persons  at  once, who  were  thus  consumed  together 
To  these  rites,  tendingto  impress  ignorance  with  awe,  they 
added  the  austerity  of  their  manners,  and  the  simplicity  of 
their  lives.  They  lived  in  woods,  caves,  and  hollow  trees  ; 
acorns  and  berries  constituted  their  general  food,  and  their 
usual  beverage  was  water.  By  these  arts  they  were  not 
only  respected,  but  almost  adored  by  the  people." 

The  sacrifices  of  human  victims  implies  a  horrible  reli 
gious  faith,  but  it  does  not  appear  to  be  wholly  inconsistent 
with  fine  qualities  of  mind  and  heart.  The  sacrifice  of 
Jephtha's  daughter,  mentioned  in  the  Hebrew  scriptures, 
and  that  of  Iphigenia  by  the  Greeks,  were  induced  by  false 
notions  of  God.  To  give  him  the  dearest  of  our  posses- 
sions, may  seem  to  ignorant  men  the  most  acceptable  ser- 
vice, and  those  who  were  capable  of  such  acts,  often 
entertained  sentiments  of  true  devotion  and  humanity. 

The  Druids  worshipped  in  the  open  air ;  and  there  still 
remain  in  England,  circles  of  stones  laid  upon  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  which,  it  is  supposed,  enclosed  their  sanctu- 
aries. The  oak  was  their  favourite  tree,  and  the  mistletoe 
a  parasitic  plant,  or  one  which  grows  upon  trees,  was  used 
in  their  rites,  and  respected  as  a  symbol  of  their  faith. 
Some  of  the  English  poets  regard  the  character  of  the 
Druids  as  that  of  simple-hearted  and  uncorrupted  men, 
fond  of  contemplating  the  works  of  God. 


Seutonius  thought  the  most  effectual  way  to  establish  the 
Roman  power  in  Britain, was  to  extirpate  the  Druiis,and 
therefore  attacked  their  chief  seat,  the  island  of  Anglesea, 
and  got  possession  of  it,  and  scattered  the  Druids  and  theii 
attendants,  and  the  bards  or  sacred  poets,  who  assisted  in 
their  worship,  and  were  highly  reverenced  by  the  native 


What  were  some  of  the  practices  of  the  Druids  ? 
What  could  induce  men  to  offer  human  sacrifices  ? 
What  was  the  druidical  worship? 
W:iat  was  the  end  of  the  Druids  in  Britain? 


12  ENGLISH  HISTOR\. 

Britons.     Prob.tbly  many  of  the  Druids  arid  Bards  wen 
killed  by  the  Roman  soldiers. 

The  Romans  boasted  that  their  law  "  gave  license  to 
all  faiths,"  that  is  they  permitted  to  all  conquered  people 
the  exercise  of  their  former  worship,  whatever  it  was  ;  and 
they  may  be  vindicated  in  extirpating  the  religion  of  tin- 
Druids,  contrary  as  the  measure  was  to  their  accustomed 
policy,  because  it  consisted  partly  of  human  sacrifices 
which  humanity  .abhors,  and  which  no  power  on  earth 
should  tolerate. 

A  D  CO  ^ne  k°^  spirit  yet  remained  to  be  sub- 
dued, and  then  the  last  of  the  Britons  yield- 
ed to  the  Roman  power.  Boadicea,  queen  of  the  Iceni, 
held  cut  against  the  enemy  with  a  British  army  of  80,000 
men  under  her  command,  and  was  opposed  by  the  inferior 
force  of  10,000  under  Suetonius.  But  in  this  encounter 
the  military  skill  of  the  foreign  foe  prevailed  over  the  des- 
perate but  undisciplined  valor  of  the  natives. 

Boadicea  was  overcome  with  anguish  and  despair  when 
she  saw  her  countrymen  scattered,  and  murdered,  and 
made  prisoners.  The  Romans  showed  no  respect  to  the 
unfortunate  princess  when  she  fell  into  their  hands,  but 
cruelly  insulted  her,  and  beat  her  with  rods.  Overwhelmed 
with  her  own  misery,  and  the  subjugation  of  her  country, 
she  put  an  end  to  her  existence.    ) 

Boadicea's  heroism  has  often  Tbeen  admired,  and  her 
misfortunes  pitied  in  succeeding  times.  That  she  had  not 
firmness  to  live,  and  bear  whatever  calamity  awaited  her, 
was  owing  to  her  ignorance  of  Christianity,  which  enjoins? 
perfect  submission  to  every  evil  however  great  or  unde 
served. 

The  Romans  now  easily  established  themselves  aH  over 
Britain,  and  built  towns  and  castles,  and  were  entire  mas- 
ters of  the  country.  Agricola,  one  of  their  generals,  was  a 
good,  as  well  as  a  brave  man,  and  prevailed  with  the  natives 
to  learn  useful  arts,  and  encouraged  them  to  live  in  towns. 


Did  the  Romans  respect  the  religion  of  conquered  nations  ge~.ei.iMy 
*nd  what  in  some  sort  _ustifies  their  severity  to  the  Druids  ? 
In  what  battle  did  Suetonius  finally  overcome  the  Britons  ? 
What  was  the  death  of  Boadicea  l 
What  religion  enjoins  submission  to  misfortunes  ? 
What  was  the  character  of  Agricoia  7 


ENGLISH   HIS70* 


13 


Did  to  build  comfortable  houses,  and  did  all  he  *  ould  tt 
civilize  them. 

Agricola  also  marched  into  Scotland.  The  inhabitants 
fled  into  the  mountains,  thinking  that  when  winter  should 
come  he  would  depart.  Instead,  however,  of  going  away, 
he  built  a  line  of  forts  quite  across  Scotland  from  the  Frith 
of  Forth  to  the  mouth  of  the  Clyde.  The  Caledonians, 
when  they  found  themselves  thus  shut  in,  came  down  from 
the  mountains,  and  ventured  a  battle,  but  were  defeated , 
and  then,  overvvhlemed  with  despair,  many  set  fire  to  their 
dwellings,  and  killed  their  wives  and  children,  for  fear  ol 
their  being  made  slaves  to  the  victors.  During  this  expe- 
dition, the  Roman  ships  sailed  quite  round  Britain,  and  so 
ascertained  it  to  be  an  island. 

For  many  years  afterwards  the  country  was  in  peace. 
During  this  period  the  Romans  occupied  themselves  in 
making  roads,  of  which  some  are  still  remaining,  and  in 
building  castles,  of  which  many  vestiges  are  still  left,  and 
of  which  the  ruins  are  so  strong  and  massy,  that  they 
promise  to  outlast  most  of  our  modern  buildings. 

In  the  year  207,  the  Emperor  Severus,  though  an  old 
and  infirm  man,  came  to  Britain  with  the  determination  to 
conquer  Caledonia.  He  could  not,  however,  succeed, 
owing  to  the  nature  of  the  country,  and  the  bravery  of  the 
people  ;  so  he  contented  himself  with  employing  his  army 
to  build  an  immense  stone  wall  quite  across  from  the  Tyne 
to  the  Solway  Frith,  many  parts  of  which  are  still  to  be 
seen.     He  soon  after  died  at  York. 

For  seventy  years  after  the  death  of  Severus  we  are  igno 
rant  of  the  affairs  of  Britain.  At  length  the  emperor  Con 
stantius  came  from  Rome  to  take  up  his  residence  in  the 
island.  He  did  not  live  long,  but  died  at  York,  in  the 
year  309.  His  son,  Constantine  the  Great,  succeeded 
him ;  and  being  in  Britain  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death, 
there  assumed  the  rank  of  emperor.  While  he  lived,  the 
country  was  at  peace.     Constantine  died  in  337. 

The  governors  who  came  from  Rome,  by  appointment 


Did  Agricola  subdue  Caledonia? 

What  were  the  public  works  of  the  Romans  in  Dritain  f 
What  was  the  principal  work  of  Severus  in  Britain  ? 
What  happened  from  the  death  oFSeverus  to  A.  D.  337  ? 


14  ENGLISH    HISTCRY. 

of  the  emperors  to  govern  Britain,  were  called  legates,  aud 
sometimes  vicars  ol  Britain. 

It  does  not  appear  that  any  considerable  number  of  Ro- 
mans domesticated  and  settled  themselves  in  Britain.  The 
imposition  of  taxes,  and  traffic  in  some  of  the  productions 
of  the  country,  were  the  advantages  obtained  by  the  con- 
querors, and  they  became,  in  fact,  the  benefactors  of  the 
Britons,  by  improving  their  arts,  and  teaching  them  theij 
language,  and  introducing  Christianity  among  them. 

The  Romans  preserved  their  conquests  by  the  establish- 
ment of  colonies  in  the  conquered  countries.  The  Roman 
colonies  differed  from  colonies  in  later  times ;  because, 
though  the  Roman  soldiers  had  lands  given  them  to  live  on, 
vet,  when  they  died,  they  could  not  leave  them  to  their 
children ;  for  the  lands  were  then  given  to  be  held  by  other 
soldiers.  The  Roman  settlers, therefore,  could  never  feel 
as  if  what  they  had  really  belonged  to  them ;  which  was 
the  reason  that,  when  they  finally  quitted  Britain,  the  whole 
body  of  them  went  away  together,  and  left  none  of  their 
people  settled  in  the  island. 

A  T)  414  ^ars  m  Italy  made  it  impossible  to  main- 
tain the  Roman  Colony  in  Britain,  and  the 
legions  which  had  kept  the  islanders  in  subjection  were  re- 
called 475  years  after  the  first  landing  of  Caesar.  The 
departure  of  the  Romans  was  an  occasion  rather  of  grief 
than  rejoicing  to  the  Britons,  for  it  exposed  them  to  the 
i  icursions  of  their  northern  neighbors  the  Scots  and  Picts. 

Those  Caledonian  nations  were  never  subdued  by  the 
Romans,  and  retained  the  ferocity  of  their  primitive  bar- 
barism. The  improved  condition  of  the  southern  country, 
its  flocks,  and  harvests,  and  the  articles  of  use  and  com- 
fort which  the  houses  contained,  tempted  the  savage  tribes, 
whose  clothing  was  tne  skin,  and  whose  precarious  food 
was  mostly  the  flesh  of  the  slain  beast,  and  who  thought 
rapine  no  robbery. 

In  despite  of  the  wall  of  Severus,  which  had  been  built 


What  was  the  Roman  policy  in  Britain  ? 

What  were  Roman  colonies  ? 

Why  were  the  Romans  recalled  from  Britain  ? 

How  bug  were  they  in  the  Island  ? 

What  was  the  conditior.  of  the  Caledonians  at  mat  f.jm»;  / 


ENGLISH   HISTORY 


15 


ft  confine  them  within  their  own  limits,  the  Scots  and  Picts 
after  the  departure  of  the  Romans,  made  frequent  and  tic- 
-tractive  inroads  upon  their  neighbors,  the  Britons. 


Stonehenge. 

Before  we  proceed  to  the  ensuingperiod  of  English  his. 
lory,  it  may  be  interesting  to  describe  some  of  the  monu- 
ments of  the  Romans,  in  England.  By  a  monument,  we 
do  not  mean  merely  some  object  which  shows  that  persons 
have  lived,  have  been  remarkable  for  something,  and  are 
dead  ;  but  we  also  mean  some  work  which  they  performed 
while  living,  which  afterwards  serves  to  show  what  they 
were  capable  of,  and  what  were  some  of  their  customs. 

The  monuments  of  the  ancient  Britons,  which  may  be 
found  at  the  present  time  in  England,  are  Barrows,  Cairns 
or  Tumuli,  Druidical  Temples,  or  circles  of  stones,  monu- 
mental stones,  Cromlechs,  and  remains  of  Intrenchments. 

A  Barrow,  Cairn,  or  Tumulus,  is  a  mound  of  earth,  or  a 
hillock  of  stones  raised  over  the  dead.  Some  of  these  are 
of  great  magnitude,, and  to  raise  them  must  have  required 
immense  labor.  Perfect  skeletons  of  British  warriors 
have  been  found  by  digging  deeply  into  these  tumuli,  01 
barrows.  Spears,  lances,  bows  and  arrows,  are  generally 
found  with  these  skeletons,  and  sometimes  pots  and  pans, 

The  pots  and  pans  probably  at  first  contained  food.  Pa- 


What  is  understood  by  the  phrase  "  monument  of  antiquity  ?" 
What  monuments  of  the  ancient  Britons  exist  now  in  England  I 
What  monuments  of  the  ancient  dead  are  found  still  in  England? 


16  ENGLISH  IIISTOKV. 

gan  and  uncivilized  nations  seem  to  have  believed  that  ti»t 
articles  necessary  to  the  living,  were  acceptable  to  the 
dead,  and  this  custom  of  supplying  such  articles  to  ttu 
tenants  of  the  tomb  may  be  discovered  among  the  savages 
of  America,  as  well  as  those  of  ancient  Europe. 

The  skeletons  in  the  British  Tumuli  have  been  found 
very  entire. 

"  Secure  beneath  his  ancient  hill 
The  British  warrior  slumbers  still  ; 
There  lie  in  order,  still  the  same, 
The  bones  which  reared  his  stately  frame  , 
Still  at  his  side,  his  spear,  his  bow, 
As  placed  two  thousand  years  ago.'* 

The  Cromlech  is  nothing  but  a  large  flat  stone  placed 
horizontally  upon  other  stones  set  upright  in  the  ground. 
The  whole  forming  a  rude  table  which  served,  as  is  sup- 
posed, for  the  altar  of  Druidical  worship. 

As  all  savages  live  in  a  state  of  warfare,  many  contrive 
the  defences  called  fortifications.  The  defence  of  a  modern 
house  is  its  locked  and  barred  gates  and  doors.  The  de- 
fence of  an  ancient  city,  before  the  invention  of  fire-arms, 
was  its  walls  and  towers — the  defence  of  savages  against 
a  hostile  neighbor,  is  sometimes  an  Intrenchment,  or 
high  bank  of  earth,  behind  which  the  endangered  people 
conceal  themselves,  and  avoid  the  arrows  of  an  enemy 
without.  An  Intrenchment,  called  Wansdike  in  Wilt- 
shire, is  eighty  miles  in  length. 

The  remains  of  the  works  above  mentioned  form  what 
are  called  British  antiquities.  Roman  antiquities  also  ex- 
ist in  England.  The  Roman  mode  of  interment  resem- 
bled that  of  the  Britons.  Antiquaries,  persons  acquaint 
ed  with  the  customs  of  ancient  times,  and  the  remains  oi 
ancient  art,  can  distinguish  between  the  Roman  and  Brit- 
ish— the  articles  of  Roman  being  of  more  elegant  work- 
manship than  those  of  British  origin. 


What  custom  prevails  among  savages  in  all  countries  ? 

Aie  the  ancient  dead  well  preserved  in  the  Tumuli? 

What  is  a  Cromlech? 

What  is  an  Intrenchment  ? 

.4.1  e  Jhere  Roman  antiquities  in  Britain? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  17 

The  principal  Roman  antiquities, besides  tumuli,  roads\ 
and  intrenchments,  are  remains  of  walk,  houses, pavements, 
baths,  hypocausts  or  stoves,  urns,  altars,  statues,  stonen 
with  inscriptions,  coins,  medals,  and  various  small  articles 
of  use  or  ornament. 

The  Roman  roads  in  Britain  were  constructed  by  the 
soldiers  with  great  art  and  labor,  and  so  durable  that  they 
yetremain.  Roman  Intrenchments  may  still  be  seen.  They 
show  the  spot  where  once  was  a  Pretorium  or  Roman 
Camp.  When  these  camps  were  permanently  fixed  to  a 
certain  place,  they  were  carefully  surrounded  by  Intrench- 
ments, and  were  called  Roman  Stations. 

When  the  Romans  took  possession  of  a  town,  or  planted 
a  colony  in  it,  they  generally  took  still  greater  care  of 
themselves,  and  surrounded  it  with  walls.  These  are  so 
extremely  hard  and  thick,  that  it  is  even  now  almost  im- 
possible to  destroy  them.  Their  first  colony  in  Britain 
was  Camulodunum,  now  Colchester,  and  there  is  their 
wall  now  standing,  though  not  so  high  as  it  once  was. 
When  it  was  wished  to  make  a  gap  in  it  some  years  ago,  it 
was  necessary  to  blow  it  up  with  gunpowder.  The  most 
astonishing  wall,  built  by  the  Romans  in  Britain,  was  that 
of  Severus,  which  was  continued  from  one  side  of  Scotland 
to  the  other. 

Of  their  houses,  or  villas,  there  are  few  remains  to  be 
seen  ;  but  in  digging,  and  in  ploughing,  their  beautiful 
floors,  called  tessellated  pavements,  are  often  discovered. 
They  are  made  of  a  vast  number  of  very  small  bricks,  of 
different  colours,  which  are  placed  in  ornamental  figures, 
somewhat  like  the  arrangement  of  cloth  which  we  call 
patch-work,  or  the  more  elegant  ornamental  work  of  Mo- 
saic. So  fond  were  the  Romans  of  this  kind  of  ornament, 
that  large  sacks  of  these  tessera  often  formed  part  of  the 
baggage  of  their  armies. 

The  sepulchres  of  the  Romans  were  vaults,  built  ibi 
their  dead,  distinct  from  their  tumuli.  In  these  are  found, 
sometimes,  skeletons  ;  in  others,  ashes,  contained  in  urnfi 


What  are  the  principal  Roman  antiquities  ? 

What  are  the  military  antiquities  ? 

Are  there  any  Roman  houses  in  Britain  ? 

Are  there  any  Roman  remains  of  the  dead  besides  tumuli 


18  ENGLISH   HISTORV 

The  urns  are,  most  of  them,  beautifully  made  of  very  fine 
clay,  and  covered  with  a  lid. 

Altars,  statues,  and  stones  with  inscriptions,  are  very 
scarce  in  England ;  but  enough  have  been  found  to  show 
that  the  Romans  had  leisure,  and  considered  themselves 
settled.  Of  their  coins  great  numbers  have  been  found  of 
brass,  copper,  lead,  silver,  and  gold.  Wherever  history 
tells  us  there  was  a  Roman  station,  there  are  often  dis- 
covered quantities  of  their  money  and  medals,  which  were 
usually  stamped  with  heads,  or  figures,  in  remembrance  of 
important  public  events. 

Respecting  these,  it  has  been  said  by  Mr.  x\ddison,  that, 
:i  As  soon  as  an  emperor  had  done  any  thing  remarkable, 
it  was  immediately  stamped  upon  a  coin,  and  became  cur- 
rent through  his  dominions.  It  was  a  pretty  contrivance 
to  spead  abroad  the  virtues  of  an  emperor,  and  make  his 
actions  circulate.  A  fresh  coin  was  a  kind  of  gazette,  that 
published  the  latest  news  of  the  empire." 


The  ancient  Britons,  as  has  been  mentioned,  were  divi- 
ded into  tribes,  and  were  governed  by  their  own  chiefs. 
These  petty  sovereigns,  it  appears,  thought  it  expedient  in 
any  great  emergency,  such  as  invasion,  like  that  of  the 
Romans,  or  in  thePictish  ravages  of  the  northern  border, 
to  choose  one  of  their  number  to  lead  their  united  armies, 
and  to  preside  in  their  councils.  This  supreme  chief  was 
the  Pendragon,  and  his  function  resembled  that  of  the 
R  3man  Dictator. 

Arthur,  prince  of  the  Silures,the  son  of  Uther,  was  made 
Pendragon  when  the  Saxons  usurped  the  sovereignty  ot' 
Britain.  Arthur's  history,  as  it  has  come  down  to  us,  is 
partly  true  and  partly  false.  In  fact,  he  resisted  the  Saxons, 
and  often  prevailed  against  them,  but  Mordred,  a  powerful 
Pictish  chief,  went  over  to  the  Saxons,  and  by  his  treacher- 
ous assistance,  they  defeated  Arthur  in  the  battle  of  Cam- 
Ian.  In  another  engagement,  Mordred  killed  Prince 
Vrthur. 

The  more  doubtful  part  of  Arthur's  history,  are  certain 

What  small  and  curious  Roman  antiquities  stjll  exist  in  England  1 
What  in  some  sort  served  for  a  gazette  in  the  Rorqan  empire  / 
What  was  a  British  Pendragon  ? 
What  is  the  probable  history  of  Prince  Arthur? 


ENGI1SH   HISTORY.  19 

wonderful  achievements  which  are  related  in  lege  ads  and 
ballads  ;  among  these  are  many  stories  of  the  Knights  oi 
the  Round  Table,  who  were  friends  of  Arthur,  and  were 
represented  to  assemble  sometimes  at  festivals  held  at  u 
Round  Table,  from  which  their  appellation  was  taken. 

After  the  death  of  Arthur,  the  bards  sung  that  Merlin, 
an  enchanter,  preserved  and  re-animated  his  dead  body,  and 
conveyed  him  to  Fairyland.  It  became  the  common  beliel 
of  the  Welsh,that  King  Arthur  would  re-appear  ,would  expel 
the  Saxon  conquerors  of  Britain,  and  reign  again  in  the 
land.    This  fiction  is  often  alluded  to  in  English  poetry. 


CHAPTER   11 

During  the  occupation  of  Britain  by  the  Romans,  the 
natives  lost  much  of  their  original  hardihood.  Their  coun- 
try was  improved  by  cultivation,  and  their  fruitful  fields, 
and  more  numerous  cattle,  tempted  their  predatory  neigh- 
bors, but  as  they  had  long  found  defenders  in  their  Roman 
masters,  they  were  become  incapable  of  defending  their 
property  without  the  assistance  of  the  Romans. 

The  ravages  of  the  Scots  and  Picts  not  only  impover- 
ished but  discouraged  the  Britons  ;  and,  in  fear  that  they 
should  not  reap  the  harvest,  they  neglected  their  fields. 
In  consequence  of  this  neglect  they  suffered  famine  and 
disease.  In  their  distress  they  called  upon  the  Romans 
to  return  and  protect  them. 

A  letter  which  wTas  addressed  by  them  at  this  time  to 
the  governor  of  Gaul  is  still  exant.     It  is  the  following  : 

"  To  JEtius,  thrice  Consul.  The  groans  of  the  Britons 
The  Barbarians  drive  us  to  the  sea.  The  sea  throws  us 
back  on  the  swords  of  the  Barbarians :  so  we  have  nothing 
left  but  the  wretched  choice  of  being  either  drowned  or 
butchered." 


What  is  the  poetic  history  of  Arthur  ? 

What  was  the  popular  belief  of  the  Welsh  in  respect  to  Prim  e  Arthur'' 

What  effect  had  the  protection  afforded  to  the  Britons  by  the  Romans 
apon  their  character  ? 

What  wis  the  condition  of  the  Britcns  after  the  departure  of  th«t 
Romans  ? 


20  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

The  Romans  were  not  in  a  condition  to  relieve  tht 
Britons,  and  they  next  had  recourse  to  a  nation  at  that 
period  becoming  powerful  in  Europe.  The  Saxons  were 
a  people  dwelling  in  the  northern  part  of  Germany,  and 
may  be  called  a  tribe  of  the  Northmen.  These  were  properly 
the  people  of  Scandinavia — the  inhabitants  of  Sweden, 
Norway,  and  Denmark.  The  dwellers  on  the  south  side 
of  the  Baltic  resembled  the  Northmen  in  many  particulars 

The  Northmen  were  never  subject  to  Rome.  From 
lime  immemorial  they  had  been  free  and  independent  tribes, 
roaming  over  their  own  fields  or  deserts,  without  fear  of, 
or  subjection  to,  foreign  enemies.  They  were  the  first  na- 
tives of  Europe  who  began  to  explore  the  open  sea  for 
subsistence,  and  when  their  vessels  had  penetrated  to  the 
inlets  of  Gaul,  of  Spain,  and  of  Britain,  the  mild  climate 
and  cultivated  soil  of  those  countries  allured  their  rapacity. 

A  D  448  Vortigern,  a  British  prince,  advised  his 
countrymen  to  entreat  aid  of  the  Saxons, 
who,  on  their  part,  gladly  promised  to  assist  them  against 
their  enemies.  In  compliance  with  the  request  of  the 
Britons,  there  presently  arrived  three  ships,  under  the 
conduct  of  Hengist  and  Horsa,  two  brothers,  who  landed 
their  troops,  and  being  joined  by  the  Britons,  marched 
against  the  Scots,  who  had  reached  Stamford,  where  they 
were  met  by  the  Saxons,  and  were  defeated,  and  driven 
back.   \ 

A  T)  4P0  ^e  Faxons  soon  saw  the  value  and  agree- 
ableness  of  the  country  they  had  been  in- 
vited to  defend,  and  began  to  covet  the  possession  of  it  for 
themselves.  They  were,  in  fact,  a  nation  of  pirates,  and, 
without  regarding  the  wickedness  and  cruelty  of  such  con 
duct,  they  sent  for  more  of  their  countrymen,  and  fell  upon 
the  unfortunate  Britons,  and  defeated  them  in  many  bat- 
tles. In  one  of  these  Horsa  was  killed,  and  Hengist  then 
took  possession  of  Kent,  and  made,  himself  king  of  it, 

A.fter  this  success  of  the  Saxons  under  Hengist,  swarms 


Who  were  the  Northmen  ? 

What  is  the  History  of  the  Northmen  ? 

Und?r  what  circumstances  did  the  Saxons  first,  appear  in  Britain  ? 

When  did  the  Saxons  first  attempt  hostilities  against  the  Britons'? 

Who  took  possession  of  Britain,  and  how  did  they  divide  then-  con 

'.est  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  21 

al'  them  kept  pouring  in  from  time  to  time,  and  l>y  degrees 
got  possession  of  almost  all  South  Britain  ;  and  as  each 
of  their  chiefs  took  possession  of  what  he  conquered,  there 
thus  at  last  arose  seven  different  kingdoms,  which  are 
commonly  called  the  Saxon  Heptarchy — Kent,  contained 
Kent  and  part  of  Sussex. — Sussex,  Surrey  and  part  of 
Sussex. — Wessex,  included  the  coast  from  Sussex  to  the 
Land's  End. — East  Saxony, or  Essex. — East  Anglia,Nor 
folk,  Suffolk,  and  Cambridgeshire. — Mercia,  the  midland 
part  of  the  island. — Northumberland,  from  Mercia  tc  the 
borders  of  Scotland. 

It  was  now  that  Britain  began  to  be  called,  from  one  of 
the  Saxon  tribes,  Angle-land,  and  from  thence  England. 
Of  the  native  Britons  but  few  were  left.  Numbers  had 
been  slaughtered  by  the  perfidious  Saxons.  Some  fled  to 
Gaul,  where  they  settled  in  the  north-western  corner  of 
that  country,  which  has  since,  from  them,  being  called  Bre- 
tagne,  or  Brittany.  The  rest  took  refuge  in  the  western 
side  of  the  island,  from  the  Land's  End  to  the  Frith  of 
Clyde,  which  is,  for  the  most  part,  hilly  and  mountainous. 
The  present  inhabitants  of  Wales,  and  of  a  part  of  Corn- 
wall, are  descended  from  these  ancient  Britons.  Scotland 
was  then  inhabited  by  the  Scots  and  Picts.  So  that  Britain 
must,  at  that  time,  have  contained  at  least  ten  different 
nations  or  tribes. 

After  the  battle  of  Stamford,  there  is  no  account  to  be 
met  with  of  the  Scots  or  Picts,  till  the  year  503  when 
there  is  some  record  of  a  king  Fergus,  who  united  the 
whole  of  the  nothern  part  of  the  island  into  one  kingdom, 
and  is  the  first  king  of  Scotland  we  hear  of.  From  the 
year  600  a.fter  Christ,  to  the  year  800,  there  was  little  but 
fighting  and  disputing  amongst  the  seven  Saxon  kings. 

During  this  time  one  of  the  kings  of  Wessex  conquered 
Cornwall ;  and  then  the  Britons  had  nothing  remaining 
to  them  but  Cambria,  now  called  Wales,  which  they  kept 
possession  of  till  the  year  1300,  when  it  was  conquered 
by  Edward  I.  king  of  England. 


What  became  of  the  native  Britons  ? 

What  was  the  condition  of  Scotland  A.  D.  503  ? 

Who  reLreatcd  to  Wales,  and  who  afterwards  conquered  Wulco  i 


22  ENGLISH   HISTOKV. 

The  Saxons,  being  pagans,  persecuted  the  Chilstiuns. 
and  seem  at  length  to  have  nearly  extirpated  their  religion. 
The  people  then  became  worshippers  of  the  false  gods  oi 
the  Saxons. 

When  the  Romans  possessed  Britain  they  doubtless 
brought  the  intelligence  of  Christianity  with  them,  and 
Christian  converts  must  have  been  made  in  Britain,  but 
how  much  this  Christianity  prevailed  is  not  now  known. 
The  Saxon  masters  of  Britain  brought  with  them  the 
tyranny  of  ignorance  and  of  physical  power ;  and  Chris- 
tianity was  so  little  regarded  after  the  time  of  the  Saxon 
domination,  that  the  popes  of  Rome  considered  Britain 
among  the  waste  places  of  heathenism,  and  sent  thither 
one  of  the  first  Christian  missions  upon  record. 

About  the  year  596  Pope  Gregory  I.  sent  St.  Augustine, 
or  Austin,  with  forty  monks,  to  instruct  the  people  of  Bri- 
tain in  the  Christian  religion.  England  and  Wales  were 
divided  into  different  principalities  at  that  time.  Ethelred, 
king  of  Kent,  was  among  the  first  proselytes  of  Augustine, 
and  became  an  important  aid  to  his  purposes.  Augustine 
was  a  spiritual  governor  as  well  as  teacher,  and  he  bap- 
tized converts,  and  established  churches  and  minister? 
from  Kent  to  Northumberland  ;  he  also  penetrated  into 
Wales,  where  he  found  a  form  of  Christianity  more  simple 
than  the  Romish  faith.  It  had  been  learned  in  the  second 
century  after  Christ  from  the  Romans,  and  was  still  cher 
ished. 

Augustine  expected  to  be  acknowledged  by  all  the  in 
habitants  of  Britain,  as  head  of  the  English  church  undei 
the  pope.  The  Welsh,  not  comprehending  the  authority 
of  the  pope  and  Saint  Austin,  thought  fit  to  reject  it,  and 
the  saint  denounced  vengeance  upon  them.  A  king  ol 
Northumberland  took  upon  himself  the  accomplishment  oi 
this  prophecy,  and  without  affording  them  time  for  defence, 
slaughtered  about  twelve  hundred  of  the  Welsh  Christians 
Fear,  as  well  as  confidence,  served  to  establish  the  Catholic 


"What  was  the  state  cf  Christianity  under  the  Saxons  in  Britain,  axul 
.ho  revived  it? 
W  ho  was  St.  Augustine  ? 
Did  the  Britons  universally  receive  the  Catholic  d  >rtrino8  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY 


legion,  and  after  the  sixth  century  it  was  acknowledged 
in  Britain,  by  the  kings  and  the  people. 

The  heptarchy  was  at  last  put  an  end  to  by  Egbert,  who 
is  commonly  considered  the  first  king  of  all  England  ;  but, 
in  fact,  some  01"  the  kingdoms  still  remained,  though  he 
made  them  tributary.  Towards  the  end  of  his  reign,  the 
Danes  began  to  make  irruptions  into  England ;  and  during 
the  reigns  of  Ethelwolf,  the  son,  and  Ethelred,  the  grand- 
son, of  Egbert,  they  came  so  frequently,  and  in  such  formi- 
dable numbers,  that  they  nearly  overran  the  whole  king- 
dom. Ethelred  was  killed  in  a  battle  with  them,  and  left 
his  kingdom,  in  871.  to  his  brother  Alfred,  one  of  the  besl 
and  greatest  kings  mentioned  in  history,   y 

1 


CHAPTER    III 

Among  the  best  examples  of  virtue  recorded  in  history 
is  the  character  of  Alfred,  one  of  the  Saxon  kings  of  Eng- 
land. This  prince  was  born  in  849,  at  a  place  called 
Wannating,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  that  which  at 
present  bears  the  name  of  Wantage  in  Berkshire,  England. 

Alfred  had  two  brothers  older  than  himself,  the  elder  ol 
whom,  according  to  the  law  and  custom  of  that  time  in 
England,  was  entitled  to  become  king  on  the  death  of  his 
father ;  but  king  Ethelwolf,  for  that  was  their  father's 
name,  disregarded  the  right  of  the  eldest  son,  and  deter- 
mined, when  he  was  no  more  than  four  years  old,  that 
Alfred  should  be  his  successor.  As  he  was  not  the  heir 
to  the  crown  according  to  the  law,  King  Ethelwolf  did  an 
act  of  injustice  to  the  brothers  of  young  Alfred  when  ht$ 
allotted  the  crown  to  that  prince. 

Ethelwolf  could  not  have  declared  this  arbitrary  inten- 
tion, if  there  had  not  been  another  prince  in  Europe  who 


How  did  the  heptarchy  terminate  ? 

What  sort  of  man  was  the  Saxon  king  Alfred  ? 

Did  Alfred  come  to  the  crown  of  England  by  regular  succession  1 

Bv  whose  authority  was  Alfred  made  king  ? 


24  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

was  above  the  laws  of  every  country,  gave  king- 
doms to  whom  he  pleased,  and  the  people  of  all  civilized 
Europe  submitted  to  his  will.  This  was  the  Pope.  Ethel- 
wolf  obtained  the  consent  of  the  Pope  to  his  project  of 
setting  aside  the  claim  of  his  eldest  son,  and  in  order  to 
engage  the  Pope's  favor  more  particularly  in  Alfred's  be- 
half, in  853,  sent  that  prince  to  Rome,  where  his  Holiness, 
as  the  Pope  is  called,  resided. 

Alfred  was  anointed  king  of  England  by  the  Pope,  and 
afterwards  returned  to  his  kingdom.  Anointing  is  a  cere- 
mony performed  upon  kings,  at  the  season  of  introducing 
them  to  their  great  office. 

Two  years  after  Alfred's  first  visit  to  Rome,  he  accom- 
panied his  father,  and  went  thither  a  second  time.  A  sen- 
sible person,  who  has  written  the  history  of  Alfred,  sup- 
poses that  the  public  buildings,  and  other  splendid  and 
curious  objects  which  he  saw  at  Rome  in  this  second  visit, 
were  ever  after  remembered  by  him,  and  that  the  remem- 
brance of  them  inspired  the  designs  which  he  afterwards 
in  some  measure  effected,  of  improving  his  native  country. 

When  the  Saxons  conquered  Britain,  after  the  Romans 
had  left  it,  they  were  too  ignorant,  ferocious  and  cruel,  to 
regard  the  useful  and  comfortable  arts  of  the  Romans. 
They  treated  the  Britons  so  ill,  and  kept  them  so  con- 
stantly at  war  with  one  another,  that,  except  roads  and 
fortifications,  they  destroyed  all  which  their  predecessors 
had  done  ;  so  that  when  Alfred  was  young  the  country 
was  in  a  ruined  state. 

Alfred's  mother  died  when  he  was  a  very  little  child. 
On  the  return  of  Ethelwolf  from  Italy,  he  married  Judith 
daughter  of  Charles  the  Bald,  then  king  of  France.  The 
Franks  were  originally  a  tribe  of  Germans,  more  improved 
and  civilized  than  the  other  tribes  ;  they  established  them- 
selves in  the  ancient  Gaul,  and  it  received  from  them  the 
modern  name  of  France.     Franks  signifies  freemen. 

Some  of  Ethelwolf 's  subjects  were  offended  by  his  injus 
rice  in  preferring  the  infant  Alfred  to  the  proper  heir  of  tnt 


What  is  anointing  ? 

Where  did  Alfred  form  notions  of  improving  England  ? 
What  was  the  condition  of  England  in  Alfred's  youth  '.' 
Who  was  Alfred's  step-mother,  and  who  were  the  Franks  ? 
Did  the  English  people  readily  accept  of  Alfred  for  their  king '( 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  25 

throne.  While  Ethelwolf  was  absent  in  Italy,  these  Jisaf« 
iccted  subjects  proposed  to  make  the  prince  Ethelbald  king 
in  his  father's  place  ;  but  others  formed  a  plan  to  divide  the 
kingdom  between  the  father  and  son.  Ethelbald  did  not 
discourage  these  projects,  and  when  the  king  became 
acquainted  with  the  undutiful  conduct  of  his  son,  it  is  said 
to  have  afflicted  him  so  much  that  he  died  soon  after 
Ethelbald  survived  his  father  but  three  years. 

Alfred  was  twelve  years  of  age  at  the  death  of  his  bro- 
ther Ethelbald  :  his  education  had  been  so  neglected  that 
he  did  not  know  how  to  read  ;  but  though  unable  to  read, 
he  loved  Saxon  poetry,  to  which  he  always  listened  with 
eager  attention  when  others  read  or  recited  it.  One  day, 
when  queen  Judith  was  sitting  in  the  midst  of  her  family 
reading  a  Saxon  poem,  she  observed  that  the  young  princes 
seemed  greatly  to  enjoy  it,  and  she  offered  to  give  the  book 
to  him  who  should  soonest  learn  to  read  it. 

The  older  princes  did  not  think  the  reward  equal  to  the 
trouble,  but  Alfred,  after  examining  the  book,  resolved  to 
make  an  attempt  to  possess  it.  He  found  a  competent  in- 
structor, and  applied  himself  to  his  work  with  such  dili- 
gence, that  he  was  soon  able  to  read  and  recite  the  poem 
to  the  queen.  She  kept  her  promise,  and  Alfred  no  doubt 
valued  her  gift  as  it  deserved. 

Alfred  had  no  sooner  acquired  the  inestimable  ability  to 
read,  than  he  found  it — what  every  rational  and  cultivated 
person  finds  it — a  source  of  unfailing  occupation  and  de- 
light, and  he  never  again  felt  the  fatigue  of  indolence. 
Alfred  always  continued  to  delight  in  the  Saxon  poetry,  and 
made  a  collection  of  pslams  and  hymns  for  his  own  use 
He  kept  this  book  in  his  bosom.  Soon  after  Queen  Judith 
had  disposed  Alfred  to  improve  himself  she  returned  to 
France,  and  left  him  to  advance  in  learning  as  well  as  he 
n  is  able. 

Alfred's  brothers  did  not  act  with  more  justice  towards 
him  than  theii  father  had  done  to  themselves  ;  for  they 
allowed  the  young  prince  but  a  small  maintenance  out  of 


Was  Alfred's  education  neglected  I 

From  wnat  beginning  did  Alfred  learn  to  read  ? 

Did  Alfred  profit  by  the  art  of  reading  ? 

What  made  Alfred  regardless  of  the  negieot  of  his  brothera? 


26  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

lliti  ample  property  left  by  Ethel  wolf ;  however,  Alfred  was 
too  deeply  engaged  in  study  to  think  with  much  pain  oi 
any  thing,  even  the  unkindness  of  his  brothers.  In  the 
course  of  his  studies,  Alfred  learned  that  there  was  other 
and  far  more  desirable  knowledge  than  any  to  be  found  in 
the  scanty  Saxon  literature  :  he  discovered  that  the  finest 
books  then  in  the  world  were  those  written  in  the  Greek 
and  Latin  languages. 

Before  Alfred  could  read  those  teautiful  and  precious 
books,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  learn  Greek  and  Latin. 
He  earnestly  desired  to  become  acquainted  with  poets,  phi- 
losophers, and  historians,  whose  thoughts  were  to  him 
locked  up  in  unknown  tongues — but  his  wishes  were  in 
vain.  To  the  royal  Alfred  aids  to  learning  that  are  now 
in  every  school -boy's  hands  were  utterly  denied.  He  not 
only  wanted  grammars  and  dictionaries,  but  a  master  ca- 
pable of  teaching  him,  for  not  one  could  be  found  in  the 
Kingdom.  He  afterwards  lamented,  as  his  greatest  mis- 
fortune, that  when  he  had  youth  and  leisure,  and  permis- 
sion to  learn,  he  could  not  find  a  teacher. 

From  the  time  of  his  learning  the  art  of  reading  to  his 
nineteenth  year,  Alfred  spent  almost  all  his  time  at  his 
studies.  During  this  period,  two  of  Alfred's  elder  brothers 
died,  and  Ethelred,  the  third  brother,  came  to  the  throne 
Ethelred  was  not  happy  in  his  government,  for  large  num 
bars  of  Danes  crossed  the  North  Sea,  landed  in  England 
and  destroyed  much  of  the  property,  and  many  of  the 
lives  of  the  English.    >l 

All  the  soldiers  that  Ethelred  could  command  were  not 
powerful  enough  to  defeat  these  cruel  enemies.  In  his  dis- 
tress Ethelred  called  upon  his  brother  Alfred  to  assist  him 
Alfred  was  mild  and  peaceable  like  his  father,  but  he  was 
grieved  for  the  sufferings  of  the  poor  English.  He  resolved 
if  he  could,  to  punish  the  Danes,  and  he  fought  many  bat- 
tles with  his  brother.  About  this  period  he  married 
Elswitha,  the  daughter  of  a  British  nobleman.  Ethelred 
was  wounded  in  battle,  and  died  soon  after,  in  the  year  871 


Was  learning  easily  obtained  in  England  in  the  age  of  Alfred  ? 
When  did  the  Danes  invade  England? 
When  was  Alfred  called  to  defend  England? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  27 

At  the  age  of  twenty-two  Alfred  became  Ring.  In  tht 
first  seven  years  of  his  reign  he  does  not  appear  so  great  a 
man  as  he  afterwards  became.  In  a  month  after  he  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne,  the  Danes  attacked  and  defeated 
Alfred's  troops,  and  he  did  not  attempt  to  punish  them : 
and  twice  afterwards  he  gave  them  money  to  quit  the 
country,  which  they  promised  to  do. 

The  Danes  afterwards  called  over  great  numbers  ol 
their  countrymen.  They  destroyed  so  much  property, 
killed  so  many  people,  and  so  terrified  others,  that  some 
of  the  English  fled  to  France,  and  concealed  themselves 
in  secret  places.  The  king,  who  had  lost  the  confidence 
of  Ins  subjects, because  he  had  not  endeavored  to  prevent 
these  misfortunes,  was  then  forced  to  wander  about  alone 
in  disguise  ;  so  that  at  one  time  neither  his  friends  or  ene- 
mies could  find  him. 

Wise  and  good  as  Alfred  really  was  his  habits  of  study 
had  not  instructed  him  in  the  character  of  the  Danes,  nor 
in  the  duty  he  owed  his  subjects,  who,  before  the  Danes 
had  committed  their  most  violent  acts,  entreated  him  to 
protect  them  ;  but  he  did  not  believe  the  danger  to  be  so 
great  as  it  was  in  fact. 

Alfred  was  twenty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  when 
he  was  obliged  to  conceal  himself,  and  to  give  up  his  king- 
dom to  the  Danes.  An  excellent  trait  in  his  character 
now  appears — a  resolution  to  reform  his  faults,  to  endea- 
vor to  conquer  the  enemies  of  his  country,  and  to  do  all 
in  his  power  for  the  benefit  of  his  subjects. 

Alfred  escaped  from  court  in  the  disguise  of  a  soldier, 
and  he  was  at  first  attended  by  a  number  of  faithful  follow- 
ers, but  the  company  was  too  small  to  defend  themselves, 
and  large  enough  to  excite  the  suspicions  of  the  enemy. 
Alfred  thought  it  prudent  to  seek  his  own  safety  alone  ;  and 
he  wandered  about  in  the  woods  and  lonely  places  till  ho 
reached  a  solitary  spot  in  Somersetshire,  where  he  found 
a  secure  retreat. 


When  did  Alfred  begin  to  reign,  and  how  did  he  govern  ? 

Did  the  Danes  persevere  in  invading  England? 

Did  Alfred  repel  the  Danes  vigorously  ? 

Did  Alfred  reform  his  own  errors  ? 

Where  d:d  Alfred  conceal  Umself  from  his  rnenriou? 


28  ENGLISH   HISTOUV. 

In  this  journey  Alfred  once  entered  the  collate  of  it 
swine-herd,  who,  perceiving  that  he  wished  to  hide  him 
self,  inquired  who  he  was.  Alfred  dared  not  tell  the  man 
who  he  really  was,  lest  he  should  inform  the  Danes  ;  there- 
tore  he  was  obliged  to  deceive  him  by  saying,  that  he  was  an 
attendant  on  king  Alfred,  who  had  lied  from  battle,  and  who 
wanted  to  be  concealed.  Alfred  was  doubtless  unwilling 
to  do  this,  for  among  his  virtues  a  constant  regard  for 
truth  distinguished  him — so  much  was  he  celebrated  for 
this  excellent  habit,  that  an  historian  who  lived  two  cen- 
turies after  him,  called  him  "  Alfred  the  truth  teller." 

The  good  peasant  feeling  compassion  for  him,  and  little 
suspecting  who  if,  was  he  was  protecting,  gave  him  shelter, 
and  made  him  welcome  to  his  own  comforts,  and  Alfred  in 
his  turn  endeavored  to  make  himself  useful  to  his  bene- 
factor. One  day,  when  the  swine-herd  was  abroad  with  his 
charge,  his  wife  put  her  cakes  on  the  hearth  to  bake,  and 
desired  Alfred,  who  sat  by  the  fire,  trimming  his  bow  and 
arrows,  to  take  care  of  the  cakes  while  she  attended  to  her 
other  business. 

But  Alfred  was  just  then  thinking  too  much  of  his  own 
affairs  to  watch  the  bread,  and  when  his  hostess  returned, 
she  found  it  so  burnt  that  it  could  not  be  eaten.  She  was 
very  angry  with  the  soldier,  and  scolded  him  heartily,  tell- 
ing him,  that  though  he  was  very  willing  to  eat  her  bread, 
he  would  not  even  turn  it  from  the  fire  to  prevent  its  being 
spoiled.  This  was  very  provoking  tc  Alfred,  but  he  had 
the  good  sense  to  make  no  reply,  and  immediately  offered 
to  do  better,  if  the  angry  woman  would  give  him  some 
more  cakes,  which  she  accordingly  did,  and  he  baked 
them  to  please  her. 

Soon  after  his  residence  at  the  swine-herd's,  Alfred  dis- 
covered another  asylum  from  his  enemies.  It  was  a  few 
acres  of  firm  ground  near  the  confluence  of  two  small  rivers, 
the  Thone  and  the  Parret.  This  little  island  contained  a 
wood,  and  abounded  in  stags  and  goats,  and  there  was  no 
approach  to  it  but  in  small  vessels.    In  the  month  of  March, 


Who  received  Alfred  m  his  disguise? 

How  did  Alfred  employ  himself  in  the  swine-herd'3  cottage  T 

What  exercised  the  king's  patience  ? 

Where  was  Alfred's  next  asylum? 


ENGLISH   1IIST0RV.  29 

Alfred  heard  of  ilie  death  of  Hubba,  one  of  the  most  pow- 
erful and  dreaded  of  the  Danish  chiefs.  At  the  same  time 
he  found  means  to  collect  about  him  some  of  his  faithful 
subjects,  to  whom  he  proposed  to  accompany  him  to  the 
island,  which  he  intended  to  fortify,  and  afterwards  to  reside 
in  with  his  family.     This  place  is  now  called  Athelney. 

By  the  aid  of  his  followers,  Alfred  completed  this  plan, 
and  was  soon  joined  by  many  of  his  dispersed  friends 
When  the  number  of  this  little  band  was  sufficient,  they 
began  to  make  excursions  against  the  Danes,  and  although 
they  were  not  always  successful,  they  were  enough  so  to 
alarm  the  enemy.  Alfred  and  his  followers  were  furnished 
with  provisions  during  their  stay  at  the  island,  by  the  spoils 
taken  from  the  Danes,  and  by  hunting  and  fishing;  but  the 
stock  thus  obtained  was  not  always  abundant. 

After  Alfred  had  meditated  for  some  time  an  attempt  to 
attack  the  Danes,  he  ventured  in  the  disguise  of  a  harper,  to 
approach  the  tent  of  Guthrum,  a  Danish  chief;  he  contrived 
to  enter  and  to  divert  the  Danes  for  several  days  with  music 
and  poetry.  There  he  had  an  opportunity  of  learning  that 
the  Danes  were  not  acquainted  with  the  power  of  the  Eng- 
lish, and  that  they  were  unprepared  for  battle  with  them. 

The  carelessness  of  his  enemies  enabled  Alfred  to  give 
information  of  his  place  of  concealment,  and  of  his  plans, 
to  many  of  his  brave  and  afflicted  subjects,  who  had  for  a 
long  time  been  ignorant  of  their  master's  safety.  They 
heard  the  news  with  gladness,  readily  flocked  to  Alfred, 
and  joined  him  in  his  march  against  the  Danes. 

This  enterprise  was  conducted  with  so  much  discretion 
and  expedition,  thai  Alfred  surprised  the  Danes,  who,  in 
their  surprise  and  terror,  made  some  opposition,  but  after- 
wards fled  before  the  king.  Alfred,  however,  pursued, 
and  surrounded  his  enemies ;  they  were  thus  deprived  of 
provisions,  and  after  fourteen  days  of  fatigue  and  hunger, 
they  implored  the  mercy  of  the  conqueror. 

Some  lives  were  lost  in  Alfred's  attack  upon  the  Danes 


Did  Alfred's  friends  come  to  his  aiJ? 

Did  Alfred  visit  the  Danish  camp  ? 

Did  Alfred  take  advantage  of  the  carelessness  of  the  Danes  ? 

Did  the  Danes  finally  submit  to  Alfred? 

How  did  Alfred  treat  the  Danes  ? 


<)0  ENGLISH   HISTORV 

but  when  the  army  acknowledged  themselves  conquered 
Alfred  formed  a  benevolent  design  to  make  them  good 
and  happy.  He  offered  to  become  their  protector  and 
friend  if  they  would  become  Christians,  and  would  pro- 
mise to  assist  him  against  any  other  Danes  who  should 
attack  his  subjects,  and  he  promised  them  a  portion  oi 
land  to  cultivate  and  live  upon. 

Guthrum  accepted  Alfred's  proposal,  and  he  and  his  fol- 
loAvers  were  baptized.  Guthrum  remained  with  Alfred 
twelve  days  as  a  guest,  and  then,  after  receiving  presents 
from  the  king,  departed  for  the  place  allotted  to  him.  Here 
he  and  his  soldiers  became  peaceable  and  useful  citizens : 
exchanging  their  swords  for  plough-shares,  and  leaving  the 
business  of  destruction,  they  learned  to  promote  their  own 
and  other's  prosperity  and  happiness.    V 

Alfred  did  not  claim  all  England  as  his  kingdom.  Some 
parts  of  the  country  were  governed  by  other  princes,  and 
the  generous  Alfred  conferred  a  portion  of  the  island  which 
fell  into  his  hands  by  the  conquest  of  the  Danes,  on  a  prince 
named  Ethelred,  who  married  his  daughter  Ethelfleda. 
Athelstan,  the  grandson  of  Alfred,  was  the  first  Saxon 
monarch  of  all  England. 

After  Alfred  had  obtained  peace,  he  employed  himself 
in  all  the  useful  works  in  his  power.  He  rebuilt  towns 
and  castles  which  had  been  destroyed,  erected  forts,  and 
stationed  a  number  of  armed  ships  along  the  coast  of  Eng 
land,  to  prevent  the  landing  of  enemies  from  the  neighbor- 
ing continent  of  Europe.  These  ships  were  the  begin- 
ning of  the  British  navy. 

Alfred  had  great  need  of  armed  ships,  for  the  Danes, 
after  the  defeat  of  Guthrum,  still  persevered  in  their 
attempts  upon  England.  Hastings,  a  daring  and  expe- 
rienced Danish  chief,  presumed  that  his  countrymen  in 
England  would  take  part  with  him,  if  he  should  attack 
that  country  after  the  death  of  Guthrum,  who  always  con- 
tinued faithful  to  his  engagement  with  Alfred. 

Hastings  sent  250  ships  tc  one  place,  and  80  to  another 


Did  the  Danes  become  quiet  sub  vets  of  Alfred  T 

Did  Alfred  govern  all  England  ? 

Did  Alfred  improve  his  kingdom  ? 

Who  was  Hastings  ? 

What  became  of  Hastings  T 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  31 

twenty  railoa  distant  from  the  former,  and  he  landed  troops 
ill  both  without  difficulty;  and  thus  commence!  a  new 
war  which  tried  the  skill  and  patience  of  Alfred  for  thret; 
years.  Hastings,  at  length,  worn  out  by  unfortunate  at- 
tempts, retreated  with  all  his  army  from  England,  and 
left  the  nation  at  peace. 

Alfred  reigned  prosperously  fifteen  years,  from  the  first 
defeat  to  the  last  invasion  of  the  Danes,  and  after  their 
last  expulsion  he  lived  four  years.  On  the  28th  of  Octo- 
ber, this  excellent  prince  died,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of 
his  age,  and  the  thirtieth  of  his  reign. 

Alfred  was  so  much  pleased  with  Ids  own  acquirements 
that  he  wished  all  his  people,  who  could,  to  possess  the 
same  knowledge.  On  this  account  he  was  anxious  that 
the  books  written  in  Latin,  which  contained  what  it  is 
desirable  that  all  men  should  know,  should  be  translated 
into  English,  "that  all  the  youth  in  England,  who  are 
free,  and  those  that  have  wealth,  may  be  committed  to 
learning,  that  they  may  apply  to  no  other  duty  till  they 
first  learn  to  read  English  writing.  Let  them  further  learn 
the  Latin  language  who  will  advance  to  a  higher  state." 

To  promote  this  benevolent  design  he  established  schools 
in  all  parts  of  his  kingdom,  to  which  all  freemen,  possess- 
ing two  acres  of  land,  were  enjoined  bylaw  to  send  their 
children.  He  gave  places  in  the  church,  or  under  the 
government,  to  those  only  who  had  made  some  progress 
in  learning.  Engaged  as  he  was  in  frequent  wars,  and 
in  affairs  of  government,  he  gained  more  knowledge,  and 
composed  more  books,  than  most  men  who  have  devoted 
their  lives  to  study. 

Alfred  was  happy  in  being  surrounded  by  intelligent  and 
amiable  children.  Two  sons  and  three  daughters  survived 
him.  His  son  Edward  succeeded  him  as  king,  and  his 
daughter  Ethelfleda  was  accounted  the  wisest  woman  in 
England.  Alfred's  last  instructions  to  his  son  and  suc- 
cessor, deserve  to  be  remembered,  and  with  them  will  be 
concluded  this  brief  history  of  one  of  the  best  and  wisest 
'nen  that  ever  lived. 


When  did  Alfred  die  ? 

Did  Alfred  honor  learning  ? 

How  did  Alfred  promote  learning  ? 

Was  Alfred  happy  in  his  domestic  relutioua 


32  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

"  My  dear  sen,  sit  tliou  now  beside  me,  and  I  will  deli 
ver  thee  true  instruction.  My  son,  1  feel  that  my  hour  is 
coming.  My  days  are  almost  done.  We  must  now  part 
I  shall  go  to  another  world,  and  thou  wilt  be  left  in  all  my 
wealth.  I  pray  thee,  (for  thou  art  my  dear  child,)  strive 
to  be  a  father  and  a  lord  to  thypeople.  Be  thou  the  chil- 
dren's father  and  the  widow's  friend.  Comfort  thou  the 
poor,  and  shelter  the  weak ;  and  with  all  thy  might,  righl 
that  which  is  wrong.  And,  son,  govern  thyself,  by  law, 
then  shall  the  Lord  love  thee,  and  God,  above  all  things, 
be  thy  reward.  Call  thou  upon  him  to  counsel  thee  in 
thy  need,  and  so  shall  he  help  thee  the  better  to  compas* 
what  thou  wouldst  have." 


-V 


The  state  of  society  under  the  Saxons  appears  to  have 
been  extremely  rude  till  the  age  of  Alfred,  who  enlarged 
his  views  of  the  true  happiness  and  glory  of  mankind  by 
observation  of  the  better  condition  of  men  at  that  time  in 
France  and  Italy.  The  inhabitants  of  monasteries  were 
the  only  persons  who  thought  much  of  cultivating  their 
minds,  and  many  of  them  were  unable  to  read  and  write, 
others,  however,  were  better  informed. 

The  more  intelligent  of  the  monks  recorded  the  history 
of  the  times,  and  from  their  histories,  we  obtain  the  facts 
which  are  related  in  modern  history.  Among  the  older 
British  historians,  was  one  called  the  venerable  Bede,  who 
is  honored  for  his  fidelity  of  description. 

Coined  money  was  not  in  use  among  the  English  at 
that  time.  Things  were  bought  and  sold  in  the  way  of 
barter  or  exchange  ;  arid  rents,  till  long  afterwards,  were 
paid  in  corn  and  cattle,  instead  of  money.  The  Romans 
made  use  of  money  as  we  do  ;  and  though  it  is  so  long 
since  they  left  the  island,  people  to  this  day  find  their 
coins,  and  the  more  frequently  because  they  had  a  custom 
of  burying  money  with  the  dead. 


What  advice  did  Alfred  give  his  son  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  society  in  England  under  the  Savons  ? 

Who  wrote  nistory  in  England  ? 

What  money  was  used  by  trfe  Saxons  and  Romans  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  33 

The  houses  of  Alfred's  time  were  very  different  from 
those  of  our  age  ;  his  palace  was  probably  inferior  to  our 
common  habitations.  Most  houses  were  in  his  time  made 
of  wood.  There  is  an  account  of  the  chief  palace  of  the 
king  of  Wales  called  the  White  Palace,  which  was  made 
of  peeled  rods  woven  together.  Houses  were  then  never 
built  of  stone,  which  was  only  used  in  constructing  castles 
and  strong  places  for  defence.  Even  the  churches  were 
commonly  of  wood.  William  of  Malmesbury,  an  historian 
of  the  twelfth  century,  says,  that  the  first  Christian  church 
in  Britain,  was  made  with  wattles,  which  are  stakes  inter- 
laced, or  interwoven  with  osiers.  We  are  told  that  the 
first  stone  church  was  built  at  Lincoln,  and  that  it  wat 
thought  a  great  curiosity. 

The  first  glass  that  was  ever  seen  in  England  was  at 
Hexham  Abbey,  in  Northumberland,  and  was  made  by 
some  workmen  who  came  from  France,  and  taught  the 
English  how  to  make  it :  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  it 
became  general.  At  first  it  was  only  used  for  the  windows 
of  churches.  The  windows  of  their  houses  were  covered 
with  cloth  to  keep  out  the  wind,  or  else  with  lattice-work. 

Clocks  were  unknown,  as  is  proved  by  a  contrivance  of 
the  wise  Alfred.  One-third  of  his  time  he  devoted  to 
religious  exercises  and  to  study ;  another  third  to  sleep 
and  necessary  refreshment,  and  the  other  to  the  affairs 
of  his  kingdom.  Thus  every  thing  was  attended  to ; 
and  he  was  so  much  afraid  of  losing  a  moment,  that  as 
.here  were  no  clocks  or  watches,  he  contrived  a  sort  of 
candle,  by  the  burning  of  which  he  could  measure  time. 
These  candles  were  painted  in  rings  or  belts  of  differeni 
breadths  and  colors,  so  many  colors  as  he  had  things  to 
attend  to ;  and  thus  he  knew  by  the  burning  of  these 
candles,  when  he  had  been  employed  long  enough  upon 
any  one  occupation. 

The  Saxon  nobles  were  not  much  better  informed  th^n 
the  inferior  orders, — they  could  neither  write  nor  read 
Much  of  their  time  hung  heavily  upon  their  hands,  namely 


What  was  the  early  architecture  of  England} 

When  was  glass  first  used  in  England  J^^ 

Were  clocks  known  in  Alfred's  timejj/ 

How  did  the  Saxon  nobles  sometimes  divert  themselves  t 


34  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

the  time  when  they  were  neither  hunting  ncr  lighting ;  and 
they  were  not  fighting  every  day  in  the  year,  nor  hunting 
every  hour  of  the  day.  And  in  rainy  weather  and  winter 
evenings  when  they  had  played  with  their  dogs,  and  sharp- 
ened their  arrows,  and  brightened  their  spears,  (for  to  have 
bright  arms  was  an  essential  part  of  a  Saxon  gentleman's 
appearance, )they  often  did  not  know  what  to  do  with  them- 
selves. A  man  who  could  sing  a  song,  or  play  on  the 
harp,  or  tell  an  entertaining  story,  was  consequently  much 
courted  and  valued  ;  and  this  occasioned  some  persons  to 
make  it  their  business  to  learn  all  these  accomplishments. 

These  persons,  whom  the  Saxons  called  glee-men,  but 
usually  known  now  under  the  name  o£  minstrels,  used  to 
rove  about  the  country  from  house  to  house,  and  from  cas- 
tle to  castle,  singing  their  songs,  and  telling  their  stories, 
which  were  commonly  in  verse  :  and  every  body  made 
them  welcome,  and  was  glad  to  see  them.  And  even  when 
the  country  was  in  a  state  of  warfare,  and  other  people 
could  not  travel  without  danger,  they  went  every  where 
without  molestation,  for  nobody  would  hurt  or  molest  the 
poor  minstrelj  who  was  always  so  acceptable  and  amusing 
a  guest. 

The  Danes  were  acquainted  with  the  game  of  chess. 
Backgammon  was  also  played  in  England,  having  been 
invented,  it  is  said,  by  the  Welsh,  and  called  by  them, 
from  two  words  in  their  language,  back  cammon,  or  little 
battle.    1 

What  was  the  condition  of  the  Saxcn  minstrels  ? 

"What  were  favorite  games  of  the  Fanes,  Englisr,  and  Welsh,  in  the 
fmn  of  the  Saxons, — and  when  naj  that  time?  (Latter  answ-r  fit»io 
the  pupils'  judgment.) 


KNGLISH    HISTORY 

CHAPTER    IV 

SAXON   KINGS  AFTER  ALFRED 
[Years  after  Christ,  901-9591 


*J5 


Alfred  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Edward,  who  had  a 
turbulent  reign  of  twenty-four  years,  the  early  part  of  which 
was  disturbed  by  the  attempts  of  his  cousin  Ethelwald  to 
wrest  the  kingdom  from  him.  This  cousin  Ethelwald  was 
the  son  of  Alfred's  elder  brother ;  but,  being  an  infant  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death,  the  nobles  passed  him  by,  and 
made  Alfred  king.  The  nephew,  now  that  his  uncle  was 
dead,  naturally  put  in  his  claim  to  the  crown.  After  much 
fighting;  and  the  loss  of  many  of  his  adherents,  he  was 
killed,  and  then  Edward's  right  remained  undisputed. 
A  "D  0.25  Edward  was  a  man  of  great  abilities,  but 
more  warlike  than  peaceable  in  his  dispo- 
sit:on.  He  had  also  a  sister  named  Ethelfleda,  who  assist- 
ed him  in  many  of  his  enterprises. 

Athelstan,  his  eldest  son,  succeeded  Edward.  His  reign' 
like  that  of  his  father,  was  a  continual  conflict  with  the 
Danes.  One  of  their  generals,  a  prince  called  Anlaff,  dis- 
guised himself  like  a  minstrel,,  and  went  into  ALhclstanV, 


Who  was  Alfred's  successor? 

What  was  the  history  of  Edward  the  Elder  ? 

Who  succeeoed  Edward  the  Elder? 

What  Danish  prince  entered  Athe.stan's  camp  * 


30  ENC.LISH   HISTORV. 

camp.  The  king  was  much  pleased  with  his  music,  and, 
dunking  he  was  a  poor  boy,  gave  him  a  piece  of  money. 
Anlaff  was  „oo  proud  to  keep  it,  and  when  he  got  out  oi 
the  king's  tent,  and  thought  nobody  was  in  sight,  he  buried 
it  in  the  ground.  It  happened  that  a  soldier  saw  him,  and 
thinking  this  very  strange,  examined  the  pretended  min- 
strel's face,  and  knew  Mm  to  be  prince  AnlafF,  but  did  not 
prevent  his  departure. 

When  the  Danish  prince  had  got  some  distance  from  the 
camp,  the  soldier  informed  Athelstan  of  the  discover}''  he 
had  made.  The  king  reproved  him  for  letting  such  a 
dangerous  enemy  escape.  "  I  once  served  Anl  iff,"  replied 
the  man,  "  and  gave  him  the  same  faith  that  I  have  now 
given  to  you  ;  and  if  I  had  betrayed  him,  what  trust  could 
you  have  reposed  in  my  truth  1  Let  him  die,  if  such  be 
his  fate ;  but  not  through  my  treachery.  Yet  now  ho 
has  escaped,  secure  yourself  from  danger,  and  remove 
your  tent,  lest  he  should  assail  you  unawares." 

Athelstan  was  pleased  with  the  honest  soldier's  answer, 
and  took  his  advice,  and  it  was  well  he  did ;  for  an  Eng- 
lish bishop,  who  came  the  next  day,  and  pitched  his  tent 
in  the  same  spot  where  the  king's  had  stood,  was  in  the 
night  attacked  by  the  Danes  ;  and  both  he  and  all  his 
servants  wrere  killed. 

The  noise  of  this  attack  waked  the  Saxons,  and  the  bat- 
tle became  general  between  them  and  the  Danes.  It  lasted 
all  that  night  and  all  the  following  day,  and  is  distinguished 
in  Saxon  history  by  the  name  of  the  long  battle.  It  ended 
in  Athelstan's  gaining  a  complete  victory,  which  secured 
to  him  the  entire  possession  of  the  kingdom.  But  he  did 
not  enjoy  it  long ;  for  he  died  three  years  afterwards,  in 
941. 

Athelstan  was  succeeded  by  his  brother  Edmund,  who 
was  at  first  molested  by  the  persevering  Danes.  They 
however,  were  soon  subdued,  and  Edmund  displayed  so 
much  bravery  and  wisdom,  that  there  was  every  hope  his 
reign  would  be  a  happy  one  ;  when  a  sudden  end  waspuf 


What  trait  of  honor  was  exhibited  by  one  of  Athelstan's  soldiers  t 
Was  Athelstan's  life  saved  by  the  faithful  soldier  ? 
What  battle  is  called  the  long  battle,  and  wher  did  Athelstan  die? 
Wns  the  rei^n  cf  Edmund  the  Saxon  long  I 


ENGLISH  HISfOH*.  3*7 

to  it.  Ho  was  sitting  at  a  feast  with  all  his  nobles  about 
him,  when  a  daring  robber,  named  Leolf,  came  into  the 
hall.  The  attendants  tried  in  vain  to  turn  him  out ;  and 
the  king,  getting  very  angry,  rose  from  his  seat,  and 
seizing  him  by  the  hair,  threw  him  down.  The  robbe? 
upon  this  drew  his  dagger,  and  stabbed  the  king  to  the 
heart ;  and  thus  this  hopeful  young  prince  died,  when  he 
was  only  twenty-four  years  old,  in  the  year  948. 

Edmund  left  two  little  sons,  named  Edwy  and  Edgar 
out  they  were  so  young,  that  Edred,  his  brother,  was 
chosen  king.  The  Northumberland  Danes  revolted  in 
the  beginning  of  the  new  reign  ;  but  Edred  soon  subdued 
them ;  and,  no  longer  allowing  them  to  have  a  prince  ot 
their  own,  he  appointed  one  of  his  own  nobles  to  be  their 
governor ;  by  which  means  he  prevented  them  from  any 
more  disturbing  the  peace  of  the  kingdom. 

This  king  would  have  led  on  the  whole  a  quiet  life,  if 
he  had  not  suffered  himself  to  be  governed  by  an  ambi- 
tious priest,  called  St.  Dunstan.  It  is  now  necessary  to 
give  some  account  of  the  state  of  the  church  at  this  period. 
There  were  then  at  the  head  of  the  English  bishops,  as 
there  now  are,  two  arch-bishops,  those  of  York  and  Can- 
terbury. Of  the  body  of  the  clergy,  a  large  portion  were 
monks,  who  took  on  themselves  some  particular  vow  of 
living  by  a  certain  system  or  rule.  Their  ordinary  practice 
was  to  live  in  monasteries,  under  the  government  of  some 
superior  :  and  they  are  often  called  the  regular  clergy. 

Another  portion  of  the  clergy  were  seculars,  who  did 
not  take  on  themselves  any  monkish  vows,  but  professed 
to  be  priests,  and  prayed  with  the  people,  and  performed 
other  priestly  offices.  The  way  of  life  of  the  secular 
clergy  has,  in  later  periods,  been  altogether  different  from 
that  of  the  monks  or  regulars.  At  first,  however,  both 
these  classes  lived  chiefly  in  monasteries,  in  which  they 
preached  regularly,  and  established  schools. 

The  monasteries,  having  no  soldiers  in  them,  and  brine 


Who  succeeded  Edmund,  and  how  did  he  manage  the  Danes  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  the  church  in  the  tenth  century  in  England] 
What  were  secular  clergy  ? 

Were  the  clergy  particularly  exposed  to  '.he  ravages  of  any  foreign 
arbamns  wi  o  might  enter  their  country  ? 


38  SNGLISH  HISTORY. 

quite  defenceless,  were  in  general  the  first  objects  attacked 
by  the  Danes,  who,  after  killing  or  driving  out  the  inhabi- 
tants, carried  off  all  the  plunder  they  could  find,  and  com- 
monly destroyed  the  monastery.  Of  those  who  escaped, 
many  took  refuge  in  the  neighbouring  villages  ;  and  this 
occasioned  a  great  increase  of  parish  churches,  almost  all 
the  churches  till  now  having  been  either  cathedrals^  or 
annexed  to  religious  houses.     1 

After  a  time  many  of  the  new  parish  priests  became 
attached  to  the  homes  which  they  thus  acquired,  and 
married,  and,  in  short,  lived  among  their  parishioners  as 
clergymen  do  now.  When  Alfred  rebuilt  the  monasteries, 
and  wanted  their  former  inhabitants  to  go  back  to  them, 
many  refused. to  return,  and  he  was,  therefore,  obliged  to 
invite  monks  from  other  countries  to  come  and  live  in  his 
monasteries.  Perpetual  quarrels  and  jealousies  ensued; 
and  the  two  parties  did  all  they  could  to  injure  one  another. 
Perhaps  the  unmarried  clergy  reproved  the  others  because 
they  were  married.  Celibacy  of  the  clergy,  or  a  single 
life  is  required  by  Catholics. 

St.  Dunstan  was  an  English  monk,  of  good  interest  and 
connections.  He  had  been  at  first  abbot  of  Glastonbury ; 
and  at  last  came  to  be  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  He 
was  a  proud,  meddling  man,  and  very  violent  against  the 
secular  clergy,  and  persuaded  king  Edred,  over  whom  he 
had  great  influence,  to  treat  them  in  a  very  harsh  manner. 
Edred,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  which  ended  in  955, 
became  indolent  and  helpless  from  bad  health,  and  let  St. 
Dunstan  do  whatever  he  pleased. 

Edwy,  the  eldest  son  of  king  Edmund,  and  nephew  to 
Edred,  then  succeeded  to  the  throne.  He  was  only 
eighteen  years  old,  and  was  naturally  well-disposed;  but 
the  cruelty  and  hard-heartedness  of  this  St.  Dunstan  de- 
stroyed not  only  the  happiness  of  his  life,  but  also  his  life, 
as  shall  be  related. 
Edwy  had  a  beautiful  cousin,  Elgiva,  whom  he  loved  very 


What  is  meant  by  celibacy  of  the  clergy  ? 
Who  was  St.  Dunstan? 
Whose  son  wa  s  Edwy  ? 

WThat  example  of  ecclesiastical  abuse  of  power  is  afforded  by  the  his 
tojy  of  Edwy  ? 


Ex\GLISH  HISTORF.  39 

dearly,  and  whom  he  married.  St.  Dui.stan,  and  Odo,  at 
that  time  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  declared  it  to  be  sin- 
ful for  a  man  to  marry  his  cousin,  and  did  all  they  could  to 
disturb  their  mutual  happiness.  On  this  the  king  sent  St 
Dunstan  out  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  Odo  contrived  to  seize 
on  the  poor  queen,  cruelly  burned  her  face  with  hot  irons, 
in  order  to  destroy  her  beauty,  and  then  had  her  carried 
away  into  Ireland,  where  she  was  kept  a  prisoner. 

Odo  then  instigated  Edgar,  who  was  stij  a  boy,  to  raise 
a  rebellion  against  his  brother.  St.  Dunstan  also  returned 
from  his  banishment,  and  joined  in  Edgar's  rebellion.  To 
complete  Edwy's  afflictions,  Elgiva,  having  made  her 
escape  from  Ireland,  got  as  far  as  Gloucester  in  her  way 
back  to  him ;  but  she  was  there  discovered  by  her  savage 
persecutors,  who  put  her  to  death.  Edwy,  not  able  to 
support  such  an  accumulation  of  misfortunes,  died,  of  a 
broken  heart,  in  959. 

Edgar,  the  next  king,  was  only  sixteen  years  old  when 
he  succeeded  his  unfortunate  brother  Edwy.  We  are  told 
thatjustice  was  so  well  and  wisely  administered  in  his  time, 
that  travelers  had  no  longer  any  fear  of  robbers.  It  appears 
that  he  attended  diligently  to  the  maritime  affairs  of  his 
kingdom  ;  and  he  had  so  large  a  fleet,  that  the  Danes  never 
ventured  to  molest  him. 

A  n  075  After  having  reigned  seventeen  years, 
Edgar  died  in  975.  His  reign  was  so 
free  from  wars  and  tumults,  that  he  obtained  the  title  of 
Edgar  the  Peaceable.  He  left  two  sons,  Edward,  the  son 
of  his  first  wife  ;  and  Ethelred,  whose  mother,  Elfrida,  was 
still  living.  Elfrida  was  ambitious  that  her  son  should  be 
king  instead  of  his  half-brother  ;  but  the  influence  of  St. 
Dunstan  placed  the  crown  on  the  head  of  Edward. 

This  young  man  behaved  kindly  and  gently  to  every 
body,  and  respectfully  to  his  ambitious  step-mother  ;  but 
this  did  not  prevent  her  from  contriving  his  death.  Onr» 
day,  when  he  was  hunting  near  Corfe  Castle,  in  Dorset 
ehire,  where  Elfrida  lived,  he  rode  to  the  Castle,  unat- 
tended by  any  of  his  servants,  and  unsuspicious  of  any  ill, 

What  was  one  consequence  of  the  cruelties  of  Odu  and  St  Dunstan? 

Who  succeeded  Edwy  ? 

When  did  Edgar  die,  and  whc  succeeded  hira? 

Who  killed  k:ng  Edward? 


40  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

to  make  the  queen  a  visit.  Elfrida  received  him  Willi 
much  pretended  kindness  ;  and  as  he  declined  dismount- 
ing from  his  horse,  she  presented  him  with  a  cup  of  wine. 
While  he  was  drinking  it,  she  caused  him  to  be  stabbed 
in  the  back. — Edward,  finding  himself  wounded,  put 
spurs  to  his  horse,  and  galloped  off;  but  becoming  weak 
from  loss  of  blood,  he  fell  from  his  horse,  and  was  drag- 
ged in  the  stirrup  till  he  died.  \ 

Ethelred  then  succeeded  to  the  throne  ;  but  though  his 
wicked  mother  had  now  obtained  her  utmost  wish,  she 
found  it  impossible  to  be  happy.  She  founded  monaste- 
ries, and  performed  penances,  according  to  the  supersti- 
tious notions  of  those  times  :  but  could  never  regain  her 
peace  of  mind.  Edward,  whom  she  had  murdered,  was, 
*>n  account  of  his  tragical  death,  called  Edward  the  Martyr. 

In  those  superstitious  times,  when  any  one  had  commit- 
ted a  crime,  instead  of  making  amends  for  it  in  a  proper 
way,  by  sincere  repentance,  and  by  repairing  to  the  utmost 
the  harm  he  had  done,  the  monks  used  to  persuade  him  to 
do  penance,  or  inflict  voluntary  punishment  upon  himself. 

To  do  penance,  was  often  to  go  barefoot,  or  to  sleep  on  a 
hard  board  instead  of  a  bed,  or  to  do  something  else  which 
should  vex  the  body  ;  but  which  would  not  make  the  heart. 
or  temper,  from  which  the  fault  arose,  at  all  the  better. 

It  was  then  common  for  priests  to  exhort  rich  sin 
ners  to  leave  their  money  at  their  deaths  to  build  churches 
and  monasteries.  Indigencies  were  privileges  that  were  to 
be  bought,  allowing  people  to  dc  things  which  were  forbid- 
den ;  but  which  still  they  had  a  mind  to  do.  For  instance, 
it  was  against  the  rules  of  the  church  to  eat  butter  during 
Lent ;  but  by  paying  a  priest  for  liberty  to  eat  butter,  any 
person  was  permitted  to  eat  it  in  Lent. 

Ethelred  had  the  name  of  Ethelred  the  Unready  :  for 
when  the  Danes  made  an  attack  uponhis  kingdom,  instead 
of  being  prepared  to  drive  them  off,  he  bribed  them  with  a 
large  sum  of  money  to  go  away.   This,  at  that  time,  they 


How  did  the  murdress  of  Edward  console  herself  for  her  crime  ? 

What  amends  for  crimes  did  the  Catholic  Church  sometimes  enjoir:' 

What  is  Penance  ? 

What  are  Indulgences  in  the  Catholic  Church  ? 

liv  what  foolish  policy  did  Ethelred  keep  off  the  Danes  from  Emda/.d 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  41 

did  ,  but  it  was  only  to  return  again  the  next  year,  in  hopes 
of  being  again  bribed.  Ethelred,  however,  was  now  ready 
for  them,  and  would  have  blocked  up  and  destroyed  theit 
fleet,  had  not  Ealfric,  one  of  his  own  commanders,  desert 
ed  to  them,  after  having  first  given  them  notice  of  the  in- 
tended attack.  By  this  means  they  escaped  with  only  the 
loss  of  one  ship. 

A  T)  QQl  ^e  country  was  agam  invaded.  Sweyn, 
king  of  Denmark,  and  Olave,  king  ot 
Norway,  commanded  this  expedition.  They  sailed  up  the 
Humber,  landedin  Lincolnshire,  and  remained  nearly  two 
years,  overrunning  and  pillaging  different  parts  of  the 
country.  At  last  Ethelred,  by  giving  them  a  very  large 
sum  of  money,  prevailed  on  them  to  depart.  But  the 
kingdom  had  only  one  year's  rest  from  these  insatiable 
marauders.  They  again  returned,  and  were  again  bribed 
to  leave  the  country. 

Some  years  before,  a  body  of  Northmen,  under  the  com- 
mand of  a  leader  named  Rollo,had  made  an  incursion  into 
France,  and  obtained  possession  of  a  fertile  district,  which 
has  since  been  called  Normandy.  Richard  II.,  duke  of 
Normandy,  a  descendant  of  Rollo,  was  a  very  powerful 
prince  ;  and  the  improvident  Ethelred,  who  had  entirely 
exhausted  the  resources  of  his  own  kingdom  by  repeated 
bribes  to  the  Danes,  thought  that  the  making  a  friend  of 
this  duke,  would  be  his  best  protection  against  them  in  case 
they  should  return  again.  To  cement  this  friendship,  he 
prevailed  on  the  duke  to  give  him  in  marriage  his  daugh- 
ter Emma,  who  was  accounted  the  most  beautiful  princess 
in  Europe. 

This  marriage  might,  through  the  duke  of  Normandy's 
influence  with  the  Danes, have  been  some  security  to  the 
English,  but  for  an  act  of  barbarity,  not  less  unwise  than 
wicked,  of  which  they  were  guilty.  In  revenge  for  the 
repeated  sufferings  which  the  foreign  Danes  had  brought 
upon  them,  they  made,  in  the  year  1002,  a  general  massa- 


What  occurred  A.  D.  993  ? 

What  northern  adventurer  first  established  himself  in  France,  and 
thy  did  the  king  of  England  seek,  his  friendship  ? 

What  tloody  act  of  the  English  brought  upon  jhem  the  Fengeipot? 
*  Svvevn  ? 


i.54  ENGLISH   HISTORi 

ere  of  the  Danes  settled  in  England.  Amongst  otltt  m 
was  killed  a  sister  of  the  king  of  Norway,  with  her  hus- 
band and  children.  When  the  news  of  this  cruel  mur- 
der reached  Sweyn,  he  vowed  to  make  a  bloody  retalia- 
tion ;  and,  accordingly,  in  the  year  1 003,  he  brought  a 
large  army  to  England,  where  he  established  himself  suc- 
cessfully. 

In  the  course  of  ten  years,  Sweyn  got  entire  possession 
of  the  kingdom  ;  and  Ethelred  and  his  queen  Emma,  with 
their  two  young  sons,  fled  into  Normandy.  But  Sweyn, 
before  he  could  be  crowned,  died  at  Gainsborough.  As 
soon  as  Ethelred  heard  of  his  death,  he  came  back  into 
England,  and  conducted  himself  with  such  unexpected 
activity  and  courage,  that  he  compelled  the  Danes,  with 
their  young  king  Canute,  to  return  home. 

If  Ethelred  had  been  wise  and  prudent,  he  might  now 
have  reinstated  himself  in  his  kingdom:  but  he  suffered 
himself  to  be  governed  and  misguided  by  one  of  his  traitor- 
ous nobles,  and  caused  some  of  his  more  faithful  adherents 
to  be  put  to  death  unjustly.  Canute  now  returned  ;  and 
Edmund,  the  eldest  son  of  Ethelred,  a  brave  and  active 
youngprince,  struggled  hard  to  preserve  his  father's  king- 
dom, amidst  the  many  and  great  difficulties  occasioned  by 
the  cruelties  of  the  Danes,  the  weakness  of  his  father,  and 
the  wickedness  of  the  nobles. 

A  n  loir  This  prince,  on  the  death  of  his  father, 
became  king  ;  and,  from  his  hardihood 
and  invincible  valor,  was  called  Edmund  Ironsides.  He 
fought  no  less  than  five  pitched  battles  with  the  Danes. 
Canute  and  he  then  came  to  an  agreement  to  divide  the 
kingdom  between  them,  and  to  live  in  peace.  It  was 
settled  that  Canute  should  have  Mercia  and  Northumber- 
land, and  that  Edmund  should  keep  all  the  rest  of  the  king- 
dom. But,  a  few  days  after  this  agreement  had  been 
made  between  them,  Edmund  was  murdered  at  Oxford  by 
cme  of  his  own  nobles,  and  thus  Canute  became  solo  king 
of  England  in  the  year  1Q17. 


Why  was  not  Sweyn  crowned  king  of  England  ? 

What  was  the  conduct  of  Ethelred,  and  his  son  Edmund  ' 

How  did  Oiute  become  king  of  England  ? 


ENGLISH    HIST  CRY 


43 


CHAPTER    V. 

FIlflM  CANUTE  TO  THE  NORMAN  CONQUEST. 
(Tears  after  Christ.,  1017— 1006.] 


The  English  showed,  at  first,  some  repugnance  to  accept 
tor  their  king  a  foreigner  and  an  enemy,  in  exclusion  oi 
the  sons  of  Edmund  Ironsides.  But  Canute,  who  was  a 
wise  and  powerful  prince,  reconciled  all  their  differences, 
and  peaceably  ascended  the  throne.  His  first  care  was  to 
endeavor  to  bring  about  a  reconciliation  between  his 
English  and  Danish  subjects  ;  in  which  difficult  under- 
taking, it  is  said,  he  succeeded :  and  although  he  had 
profited  by  the  wicked  arts  of  those  Saxons  who  had  be- 
trayed their  country  to  him,  he  nevertheless  inflicted  on 
f.hem  the  just  punishment  of  their  treachery,  putting  some 
:>f  them  to  death,  and  banishing  others. 

Canute's  conduct  towards  the  family  of  his  predecessor. 


What  was  .he  general  character  of  Canute'*  government? 


44  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

is  the  great  stain  on  his  character.  He  not  only  caused  the. 
brother  of  Edmund  to  be  murdered,  but  also  sent  away 
Edmund's  two  little  sons  to  the  king  of  Sweden,  meaning 
it  is  supposed,  that  ne  should  put  them  to  death.  But  the 
king  of  Sweden  took  compassion  on  them,  and  sent  them  to 
Solomon,  king  of  Hungary,  desiring  him  to  take  good  cafe 
of  them.  Edwin,  the  elder,  died  young  ;  but  the  younger, 
who  was  called  Edward,  lived  to  grow  up,  and  married 
Agatha,  sister  to  the  queen  of  Hungary. 

Canute,  when  he  was  thoroughly  settled  in  England, 
being  desirous  to  show  his  new  subjects  what  confidence  ht- 
had  in  them,  sent  almost  all  his  Danish  fleet  and  army  back 
again  to  Denmark,  keeping  only  forty  ships.  He  next 
offered  himself  in  marriage  to  Emma,  the  widowed  queen 
of  Ethelred,  and  she  married  him,  although  he  had  been 
her  children's  greatest  enemy.  It  was,  however,  a  very 
fortunate  marriage  for  Canute,  as  it  prevented  the  duke  of 
Normandy  from  attempting  to  place  on  the  throne  of  Eng- 
land his  nephews,  Alfred  and  Edward,  the  two  sons  of 
Emma  and  Ethelred. 

The  conduct  of  Canute  was  so  wise  and  prudent,  that  he 
nas  been  called  by  historians  Canute  the  Great.  In  a  voy- 
age to  Denmark,  to  repel  the  Swedes,  who  were  making 
an  attack  upon  that  country,  he  took  with  him  some  English 
under  the  command  of  earl  Godwin  ;  and  they  attacked 
the  Swedish  army  with  so  much  bravery,  that  Canute  was 
greatly  pleased  with  their  conduct ;  and  Godwin  became 
one  of  his  greatest  favorites. 

Canute  staid  in  Denmark  about  a  year  ;  and  when  he 
returned  to  England  he  found  the  country  in  tranquility 
in  which  it  continued  for  some  years.  During  this  time 
Canute  employed  himself  in  making  new  laws  and  regu- 
lations, and  in  building  churches  and  monasteries. 

A    T)   in^      Excepting  a  dispute  with  the  king  <;{ 

*     Scotland  about  the  tribute  called  Dane 

gelt,  which  he  demanded  for  a  part  of  Cumberland  that  had 

at  some  former  time  been  given  up  to  the  Scots,  Canute 

preserved  England  in  peace  during  the  whole  of  his  reipn 

How  did  Canute  treat  the  sons  of  Edmund  Ironsides  ? 

Did  Canute  reign  securely  in  England,  and  whom  did  he  marry? 

Did  Canute  govern  wisely  ? 

Wy«  England  tranquil  during  Canute's  life? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  45 

a  term  of  eighteen  years.  He  died  at  Shaftsbury ,  and  left 
three  sons,  Sweyn,  Harold,  and  Hardicanute. 

The  succession  had  been  settled  on  Hardicanute,  who 
was  queen  Emma's  son  ;  but,  he  being  in  Denmark  when 
his  father  died,  Harold  seized  on  the  crown,  and  took 
possession  of  the  late  king's  treasures.  Earl  Godwin  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  English,  declared  for  Hardicanute ; 
and  the  country  seemed  on  the  verge  of  a  civil  war,  when 
it  was  prevented  by  an  arrangement  entered  into  for  di- 
viding the  kingdom  between  the  two  brothers. 

Harold  was  to  keep  London,  and  the  counties  north  of 
the  Thames.  All  to  the  south  of  that  river  was  to  be  Har- 
dicanute's  ;  and  his  mother,  queen  Emma,  was  to  live  at 
Winchester,  and  govern  the  country  for  him,  till  his  return 
from  Denmark.  Emma  then  sent  for  her  two  sons,  Alfred 
and  Edward,  whom  she  had  had  byEthelred,  to  come  to 
England  from  Normandy,  where  they  were  living  under 
their  uncle's  care. 

A  D  1 03Q  Alfred,  on  his  arrival,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  earl  Godwin,  who  had  been  secretly 
gained  to  Harold's  interest,  and  was  carried  to  Ely,  where 
he  was  either  actually  murdered,  or  died  in  consequence  of 
the  cruel  treatment  he  suffered.  As  soon  as  Emma  heard 
of  his  fate,  she  fled  into  Flanders,  and  Harold  took  posses- 
sion of  the  whole  kingdom.  He  did  not,  however,  long 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  cruelty  and  ambition,  for  he  died  in 
1039.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  swiftness  in  walking 
and  running,  which  obtained  for  him  the  name  of  Harold 
Harefoof. 

A  D  1 041  ^s  soon  as  Hardicanute,  who  had  joined 
his  mother  in  Flanders,  heard  of  the  death 
of  Harold,  he  came  to  England,  and  was  received  by  the 
people  with  the  greatest  joy.  But  their  joy  was  of  short 
duration,  for  the  young  king  soon  showed  himself  to  be  of 
a  very  ferocious  and  vindictive  temper.  Hardicanute  le- 
vied heavy  taxes  on  his  English  subjects,  to  pay  his  Danish 
fleet  and  army.  His  reign,  however,  did  not  last  long  ; 
for  he  died  in  1041,  having  shortened  his  life  by  his  ex 
cessive  intemperance  in  eating  and  drinking. 


L 


When  did  Canute  die? 

What  prevented  a  civil  war  in  England  at  that  time  ' 

When  did  Harold  Hare  foot  die  ? 

When  did  Hardinan'ife  die? 


4(5  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

The  violences  of  Harold  and  Hardicanute  had  so  much 
disgusted  the  English  with  their  Danish  sovereigns,  thai 
they  now  resolved  to  restore  the  line  of  their  own  Saxon 
princes,  and  they  looked  d>out  amongst  the  descendants  ol 
Ethelred  for  a  successor  to  the  vacant  throne.  They  in- 
vited Edward,  afterwards  called  the  Confessor,  the  son  oi 
Ethelred  and  Emma,  to  ascend  the  throne.  Edwaid, 
being  of  a  timorous  and  unambitious  temper,  did  not  de- 
sire to  be  king,  and  would  have  declined  the  oiler,  had 
not  earl  Godwin,  who  was  now  become  the  most  powerful 
person  in  the  kingdom,  prevailed  on  him  to  suffer  himseli 
to  be  crowned.  This  restoration  of  the  Saxon  line  caused 
great  joy  throughout  the  kingdom,  and  was  long  celebrated 
by  an  annual  festival  called  Hokeday. 

Edward  married  Edgitha,  daughter  of  earl  Godwin,  and 
began  his  reign  by  seizing  on  the  treasures  of  queen  Emma, 
who,  he  pretended,  had  treated  him  very  unkindly  during 
his  adversity.  He  also  revoked  many  grants  the  late  king 
had  made  to  the  Danes  ;  and  took  oif  the  tax  called  Dane 
gelt,  a  tax  which  was  particularly  odious  to  the  English, 
and  which  had  been  first  levied  by  Ethelred,  to  obtain 
money  to  bribe  the  Danes  to  leave  the  country.  This 
arbitrary  seizure  of  property  shows  how  little  kings  theii 
understood  the  rights  of  subjects,  andhow  imperfectly  sub- 
jects understood  their  own  rights  when  they  submitted  to  it. 

Edward  having  been  brought  up  amongst  the  Normans, 
had  many  friends  and  favorites  of  that  nation,  who  came 
nocking  over  to  him,  and  were  loaded  by  him  with  favors 
and  benefits.  This  gave  gteat  offence  to  the  English  no- 
des, particularly  to  earl  Godwin,  who  considered  himself 
as  having  a  right  to  govern  and  direct  the  king,  and  who 
was  indignant  at  the  influence  the  Normans  had  over  him. 
These  jealouses  became  at  length  so  violent,  that  the  king 
banished  earl  Godwin,  and  gave  his  possessions  to  Norman 
favorites.  Even  the  queen  because  she  was  the  earl's 
daughter,  was  very  harshly  treated,  and  was  obliged  to  go 
into  a  nunnery. 

After  a  time,  Godwin  and  his  sens  returned  with  a  greal 


What  induced  the  British  nation  to  restore  the  Saxon  line  of  kingy  7 
What  were  the  principal  measures  of  Edward's  reign? 
VV  hat  first  brought  the  Normans  to  England'/ 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  47 

fleet,  and  boldly  sailed  up  the  Thames,  towards  London. 
The  king  was  then  persuaded  by  the  rest  of  the  English 
nobles  to  restore  Godwin  to  his  possessions,  and  to  banish 
the  Normans,  who  all  left  the  country  as  secretly  as  they 
could,  for  fear  of  being  torn  to  pieces  by  the  populace. 

Soon  after  this,  earl  Godwin  died  suddenly,  as  he  wae 
sitting  at  table  with  the  king.  Godwin  had  married  o 
daughter  of  Canute  the  Great ;  and  Harold,  his  eldest  son, 
who  was  quite  as  ambitious  as  his  father,  had  set  his  heart 
on  succeeding  Edward,  who  had  no  children,  in  the 
throne  of  England.  But  the  king,  who  was  aware  of  his 
ambitious  designs,  and  desirous  of  deafeating  them,  sent 
into  Hungary,  for  the  long-forgotten  prince,  Edward  the 
Exile,  son  of  Edmund  Ironsides.  The  prince  readily 
obeyed  the  summons ;  but  died  a  few  months  after  his 
arrival,  leaving  a  son  named  Edgar  Atheling. 

The  death  of  Edward  the  Exile  strengthened  Harold 
yet  more  in  his  hopes  ;  and  on  the  death  of  Edward  the 
Confessor,  which  took  place  in  1066,  he  was  crowned 
king.  He  did  not,  however,  find  the  throne  a  peaceable 
possession  ;  for  William,  duke  of  Normandy,  immediately 
asserted  his  own  claim  to  it,  under  pretence  that  Edward 
the  Confessor  had  left  him  the  kingdom  in  his  will.  Wil- 
liam, in  aid  of  his  own  preparations,  excited  Halfager, 
king  of  Norway,  and  Tosti,  the  brother  of  Harold,  to  make 
a.  descent  in  the  north  of  England. 

Harold  gained  near  York  a  great  victory  over  these 
invaders  ;  but  was  then  obliged  to  make  a  speedy  march 
to  the  south  coast,  to  oppose  the  duke  of  Normandy,  who 
had  landed,  with  a  great  army,  in  Pevensey  Bay,  in  Sus- 
sex, on  the  28th  of  September,  1066.  On  the  14th  of 
October  was  fought  the  great  battle  of  Hastings,  a  battle 
that  completely  changed  the  fate  of  England.  Harold 
was  killed  by  a  wound  in  the  eye  from  an  arrow,  and 
William  gained  a  signal  victory.     \i 


Why  were  the  Normans  expelled  from  England  ? 

What  successor  did  Edward  provide  ? 

Whc  succeeded  Edward  the  Confesscr,  and  who  claimed  the  cixw» 

Wlie-n  v-as  the  battle  or  Hasting?  t 


48 


ENGLISH  HISTORY. 


LIST  OF  SAXON  KINGS. 


B'^gai  to 
reigu. 

827  . 

836  . 

857  . 

871  . 

901  . 

925  . 

941  . 

948  . 

955  . 

959  . 

975  . 

979  . 

916  . 


•017 
10.35 
1039 


Reigned. 
.  9  .  . 
.  21  .  . 
.  14  .  . 
.  30  .  . 
.  24  .  . 
.  16  .  . 
.  7  . 
.  7  . 
.  4  .  . 
.  16  .  . 
.  4  .  . 
.  37  .  . 
.     1    .  . 


THE  SAXON  LINE. 

.  Egbert. 

.  Ethel  wolf,  son  of  Egbert. 

!  Alfred^'    }sonsof£lhelwolf. 

.  Edward  the  Elder,  son  of  Alfred. 

.  Athelstan,    } 

.  Edmund,      >  sons  of  Edward. 

.  Edred,  \ 

.  Edwy, 

.  Edgar, 

.  Edward  the  Martyr,  I. sons  of  E( 

.  Ethelred  the  Unready,      )' 

.  Edmund  Ironsides. 

THE  DANISH  LINE. 


sons  of  Edmund. 


Canute  the  Great. 
Harold  Harefoot, 
Hardicanute, 


sons  of  Canute. 


1011 
10G6 


SAXON   LINE    RESTORED 


Edward  the    Confessor,  son   of   Ethelred    the 

Unready. 
Harold,  son  of  earl  Godwin,  usurped  the  crown, 
though   Edgar  Atheling,    grandson  of    Edmund 
Ironsides,  was  the  natural  heir. 


The  Saxons  continued  in  the  country  after  the  conquest, 
and  were  much  more  numerous  than  the  Norman  settlers  : 
the  present  inhabitants  of  England,  therefore,  are  chiefly 
of  Saxon  descent  :  and  their  language,  and  many  of  their 
habits  and  customs,  sufficiently  declare  their  origin. 

It  does  not  appear  that  the  social  and  moral  character  of 
England  was  much  changed  duringthe  period  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty-five  years,  which  elapsed  from  the  death  of 
Alfred  to  the  battle  of  Hastings.  Duringthe  greater  part 
of  that  time  the  English  were  in  such  a  continual  state  of 
warfare  with  the  Danes,  that  they  did  not  make  much  pro- 
gress in  anypeaceful  arts.  Books  were  so  very  scarce  and 
dear,  that  they  were  only  to  be  found  in  royal  libraries. — 
Paper  was  not  then  invented,  and  it  was  not  possible  to  pro« 


Are  the  present  inhabitants  of  England  chiefly  of  Saxon  origin  ? 
During  165  years  what  was  the  improvement  of  the  English  peoule  \ 


ENGLISH    H1ST0  IV.  49 

cure  parchment  enough  for  a  great  supply  of  books  Be- 
sides this,  there  were  only  manuscripts,  (priiting  not  be- 
ing invented  at  that  time,)  and  but  few  people  could  write. 
Some,  however,  of  the  few  manuscripts  remaining  in  the 
Saxon  character,  arc  very  beautifully  and  carefully  written. 

The  Saxons  had  also  another  difficulty  in  the  way  of 
their  acquiring  knowledge.  They  had  not  any  signs,  or 
characters,  to  express  numbers,  except  the  Roman  letters 
M.  D.  C.  V.  I.,  which  are  at  this  time  occasionally  in 
use  ;  and  till  the  figures  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  &c,  were  brought 
into  Europe  by  the  Saracens,  by  whom,  it  is  said,  they 
were  invented,  there  was  great  difficulty  in  learning  and 
practising  arithmetic. 

The  Danish  kings  were  not  more  friendly  to  learning 
than  their  Saxon  predecessors.  Some  of  both  respected 
learned  men.  Edward  the  Confessor  liked  to  have  them 
about  him.  Canute  was  a  pagan  when  he  came  to  Eng- 
land, but  he  became  a  Christain.  The  Danes  and  Sax- 
ons resembled  each  other  very  much  in  dress  and  lan- 
guage :  but  the  Saxons,  though  equally  brave  and  warlike, 
appear  to  have  been  a  less  savage  and  more  social  peo- 
ple than  the  Danes. 

The  style  of  dress  among  the  Saxons  was  quite  different 
from  that  in  present  fashion.  The  loose  dress,  called  a 
carter's  frock,  very  much  resembles  the  tunic  which  was 
worn  by  the  Saxons.  These  tunics  were  bound  in  round 
the  waist  with  a  belt,  and  usually  came  no  lower  than  the 
knee  ;  only  kings  and  nobles  wore  them  down  to  the  feet. 
People  of  rank  wore,  over  the  other,  a  short  tunic,  or  sur~ 
-.oa  ,  made  of  silk,  and  richly  embroidered  and  ornament- 
ed .  a  linen  shirt,  also,  shaped  much  like  a  modern  shirt, 
was  now  an  indispensable  part  of  dress  amongst  the  high- 
er ordeis  of  people. 

The  poor  people  wore  no  shirt,  and  had  only  a  tunic 
made  of  coarse  materials.  The  slaves  wore  an  iron  collar 
round  the  neck,  and  were  clad  in  tunics  open  at  the  sides. 
According  to  the  pictures  we  have  of  the  Saxons,  they 


What  prevented  the  Saxons  from  readily  acquiring  arithmetic  ? 
Did  the  Danes  and  Saxons  regard  learning,  and  did  they  resemblo 
."ach  other? 
What  was  the  Saxon  style  of  dress  generally  ? 
What  was  t'le  dress  of  the  poor  people  ? 


50  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

appear  generally  to  have  gone  bareheaded  ;  though  the}" 
occasionally  wore  fur  caps.  The  hair  was  worn  long,  and 
parted  on  the  forehead,  and  hung  in  straight  locks  on  each 
side  of  the  face.  The  beard  was  shaven  on  the  upper  lip 
and  top  of  the  chin  :  the  rest  grew  long,  and  was  kept  very 
smooth  and  neat,  and  was  usually  divided*  in  the  middle 
and  hung  down  in  two  points.  Their  shoes  came  up  high, 
and  were  more  properly  a  sort  of  buskin. 

The  Saxon  women  wore  a  linen  under  dress,  with  long 
tight  sleeves ;  and  over  that  a  wide  robe,  or  gown,  fastened 
round  the  waist  by  a  belt,  and  long  enough  to  conceal  the 
feet.  Their  head-dress  was  a  square  piece  of  linen,  or  silk, 
so  put  on  as  to  conceal  the  hair  and  neck,  showing  only 
the  face.  It  ought  to  be  remembered,  to  the  hor  or  of  the 
Saxon  ladies, that,  while  the  men  were  continually  adopt- 
ing new  fashions  in  their  dress,  there  was,  in  300  years, 
little  or  no  change  in  that  of  the  women.  Both  sexes  wore 
mantles,  more  or  less  splendid,  according  to  their  rank,  and 
i  profusion  of  gold  ornaments,  fringes,  and  bracelets. 

Loose  trowsers  were  worn  by  the  men  :  but  this,  per- 
haps, was  more  a  Norman  fashion,  being  introduced,  with 
many  other  changes,  by  Edward  the  Confessor,  whose 
early  education  had  made  him  much  attached  to  the  Nor- 
man dress  and  customs.  Amongst  other  changes,  he 
caused  his  nobles  to  be  called  barons,  instead  of  by  the 
old  Saxon  name  of  theyn,  or  thane. 

The  title  of  Confessor  has  nearly  the  same  meaning 
with  that  of  Saint,  and  was  conferred  on  Edward  by  pope 
Alexander  III.  about  a  century  after  his  death. 

I 

CHAPTER    VI. 

WILLIAM  I. 
[Years  after  Christ,  10GG— 1087.] 

By  the  fatal  termination  of  the  battle  of  Hastings,  in 
which  Harold  was  killed,  and  William  of  Normandy  com- 

How  did  the  Saxon  women  dress  ? 

What  changes  of  fashion  were  brought  into  England  by  Edward  the 
Confessor,  and  why  was  he  called  so  ? 

Did  the  English  bestow  the  crown  without  hesitation  uocn  William 
of  Norman  ly  ? 


ENGLISH   HlSTOftY.  51 

iVietely  victorious,  the  English  were  throve  n  ir  to  the  utmosl 
consternation.  Some  of  the  nobles  assembled  in  London 
to  deliberate  on  placing  Edgar  Atheling  on  the  throne  ; 
but  before  they  could  come  to  any  settled  determination, 
the  Conqueror  was  already  at  their  gates.  Some  of  the 
nobles  fled  into  the  north ;  but  the  rest,  and  amongst  them 
Edgar  Atheling,  came  out  to  meet  the  duke  of  Normandy, 
and  offered  him  the  vacant  throne  ;  which  he,  with  a  littie 
pretended  hesitation,  accepted. 

T)     OCT    WiUka*  the  Conqueror  was  crowned  at 

A.  LK  .  Westminster,  on  Christmas-day.    During 

the  ceremony,  the  English,  to  show  their  satisfaction  in 
their  new  king,  set  up  loud  shouts  of  applause.  The  Nor- 
man guards,  who  were  stationed  on  the  outside  of  the  ab- 
bey, hearing  a  great  noise,  and  not  understanding  what  it 
meant,  thought  the  English  were  insulting  their  prince.  In 
the  sudden  passion  into  which  this  notion  betrayed  them, 
they  set  fire  to  some  neighboring  houses,  which,  being  of 
wood,  burnt  furiously.  A  violent  tumult  ensued  which, 
though  it  arose  only  from  a  mistake,  caused  much  ill-will 
between  the  two  nations,  and  there  was  some  difficulty  in 
pacifying  it. 

William,  however,  began  his  reign  with  so  much  pru- 
dence and  moderation,  that  his  new  subjects  thought  they 
had  great  reason  to  be  satisfied  :  but  afterwards,  when  he 
built  castles  at  Norwich,  Winchester,  Hereford,  and  Lon- 
don, and  garrisoned  them  with  Normans,  they  began  to 
feel  themselves  oppressed. 

On  an  occasion  offered  by  his  going  into  Normandy, 
they  broke  out  into  open  rebellion,  but  without  success  :  and 
William,  on  his  return,  did  what  was  right  in  his  own  eyes, 
without  much  regard  for  the  feelings  of  his  subjects,  and 
compelled  them  to  absolute  submission.  Many  years 
passed  in  unavailing  struggles  on  the  part  of  the  English 
to  throw  off  the  Norman  yoke,  and  in  reiterated  acts  ol 
oppression  on  the  part  of  the  Conqueror,  who  deprived 
*.he  Saxon  nobles  of  their  estates  to  bestow  them  on  his 
Norman  followers. 

William  deposed  the  English  bishops,  and  filled  theii 

Did  the  English  proceed  to  open  rebellion  against  William? 
When  did  the  English  become  dissatisfied  with  William  ? 
Did  William  act  justly  toward  the  Saxons  ? 
How  did  William  govern  the  church  affairs  ? 


b'l  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

places  with  Normans  or  other  foreigners  ,  one  of  these, 
however,  Lanfranc,  an  Italian,  who  was  made  archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  proved  himself,  by  his  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence, and  by  the  influence  he  had  with  the  king,  which 
he  used  in  trying  to  moderate  the  violence  of  his  temper, 
one  of  the  best  friends  the  English  had. 

During  this  time,  Edgar  Atheling  had  taken  refuge  with 
Malcolm,  king  of  Scotland,  who  had  given  a  kind  recep- 
tion to  him,  and  to  several  nobles  who  had  fled  out  of  Eng- 
land with  him.  Malcolm  married  one  of  Edgar's  sisters ; 
and,  assisted  by  the  king  of  Denmark,  made  an  attempt  to 
drive  out  the  Normans,  and  place  Edgar  on  the  throne  of 
his  ancestors. 

William  soon  obliged  the  Scots  and  Danes  to  retreat ; 
and  with  a  view,  as  is  said,  to  place- an  impenetrable  bar- 
rier between  England  and  Scotland,  he  depopulated  a  tract 
of  sixty  miles  north  of  the  Humber,  and  made  it  quite  a 
desert.  The  inhabitants,  those  who  could,  fled  into  Scot- 
land, where  they  were  humanely  received.  The  rest  per- 
ished miserably  from  cold  and  hunger  ;  and  the  land,  after 
this  dreadful  devastation,  remained  uncultivated  for  nine 
years. 

.  r)  if)7i  Malcolm  intending  to  make  a  fresh  at- 
tempt in  favor  of  Edgar,  William  marched 
against  him  with  a  large  army.  The  two  armies  met  on 
the  borders  of  Scotland,  and  a  battle  was  about  to  ensue; 
but  the  two  kings  made  peace  with  each  other  •  one  of 
the  conditions  of  which  was,  that  Edgar  Atheling  should 
be  given  up  to  William,  who  promised,  if  he  would  re- 
nounce his  pretensions  to  the  throne  of  England,  to  give 
him  a  mark  a  day,  which  was  considered  a  very  handsome 
allowance  in  those  days  Edgar  assented  to  these  terms, 
and  both  he  and  William  ever  after  continued  true  to  their 
agreement. 

It  seemed,  however,  as  if  William  had  been  destined 
never  to  enjoy  repose  ;  for  now  that  he  had  no  more  dis- 
turbances to  fear  from  either  the  English  or  Scots,  his  throne 
and  life  were  endangered  by  a  conspiracy  amongst  his  own 
Gorman  nobles,  those  very  persons,  to   enrich  whom  he 

What  became  of  Edgar  Atheling? 

By  what  cruel  measure  did  William  repel  the  Scots  and  Danes  ? 
How  did  William  finally  accommodate  matters  with  Edgar  Atheling 
Did  the  Norman  subjects  of  William  rebel  agninst  him? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  53 

had  been  so  often  guilty  of  injustice  and  cruelty.  This 
conspiracy  was,  however,  discovered  to  him  by  tha  con- 
scientiousness of  WaltheofT,  the  only  Saxon  whom  he  had 
retained  in  his  favor,  and  the  only  one  of  the  conspirators 
who  was  punished,  though  his  voluntary  confession  had 
preserved  the  king.  ^ 

Fresh  vexations  next  awaited  William  in  his  own  family, 
from  the  turbulent  and  ungovemed  tempers  of  Ms  sons ; 
particularly  of  the  eldest  two,  Robert  and  William.  These 
princes  had  been  in  a  state  of  enmity  with  each  other ;  and 
it  is  said  that  a  boyish  frolic,  in  which  one  of  them  threw 
some  water  on  his  brother's  head,  was  the  beginning  of 
the  quarrel  between  them. 

At  last,  Robert,  who  was  less  malignant  „han  William, 
but  more  passionate  and  headstrong,  proceeded,  from  this 
quarrel  with  his  brother,  to  an  open  rebellion  against  his 
father,  whom,  in  an  encounter,  not  knowing  who  it  was, 
he  wounded,  and  struck  off  his  horse.  When  he  saw  that 
it  was  the  king  with  whom  he  had  been  engaged,  his  re- 
morse and  horror,  at  the  thought  of  having  been  so  nearly 
guilty  of  killing  his  own  father,  subdued  in  a  moment  all 
his  rebellious  and  proud  feelings  :  and  he  sprung  from  his 
horse  in  an  agony  of  grief,  and  threw  himself  on  his  knees 
at  the  king's  feet. 

William  was  too  much  offended  to  forgive  his  son  ;  and, 
saying  many  bitter  words  to  him,  remounted  and  returned 
to  his  own  army  :  and  it  was  some  time  before  he  "would 
listen  to  Robert's  contrite  entreaties.  At  last,  queen  Ma- 
tilda, who  was  a  very  good  and  pious  woman,  and  who 
was  madv:>  /ery  unhappy  by  the  dissentions  in  her  family, 
prevailed  with  the  king  to  pardon  his  son. 

One  would  have  thought  that,  after  all  these  turmoils, 
William  would  have  been  glad  of  some  repose  ;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  on  some  trifling  quarrel  with  Philip  the  First, 
king  of  France,  he  marched  anarmy  into  that  country,de- 
stroying  and  laying  waste  every  thing :  and  as  it  was  in  the 
month  of  July,  when  the  harvest  was  ripe,  the  devastation 

What  was  the  character  of  Robert  and  William,  the  Conquerers 
3011s  ? 

To  what  occurrence  did  the  rebellion  of  Robert  against  his  fathei 
cad? 

By  whose  intercession  was  William  reconciled  to  his  son  ? 

With  what  king  had  William  a  quarrel? 


54  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

lie  nude  was  very  dreadful,  particu.arly  as  he  burnt  every 
town  and  village  he  passed  through. 

William's  cruelty,  at  length  brought  on  him  its  own 
punishment ;  for  after  burning  the  town  of  Mantes,  his 
horse,  flinching  from  the  smoking  ashes,  made  a  violent 
plunge  ;  and  the  king,  being  very  corpulent,  got  a  bruise, 
which  in  a  few  days  caused  his  death.  He  died  in  1087, 
at  the  abbey  of  St.  Gervaise,  near  Rouen,  and  was  buried 
at  Caen.  He  was  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age,  and 
had  reigned  twenty-one  years  in  England. 

He  married  Matilda,  daughter  of  the  earl  of  Flanders, 
and  had  four  sons  and  five  daughters  :  Robert,  to  whom 
he  left  the  dukedom  of  Normandy  ;  William,  king  of 
England  ;  Henry,  to  whom  he  left  his  mother  Matilda's 
fortune  ;  Richard,  who  died  young  ;  Adela  married  Ste- 
phen count  de  Blois,  and  five  sons  and  daughters  that 
died  young. 

It  is  above  700  years  since  the  death  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  and  there  are  yet  remaining  two  remarkable 
memorials  of  his  reign  and  character.  The  one  is  the 
New  Forest,  in  Hampshire  ;  to  make  which,  for  the  sake 
of  enjoying  the  pleasure  of  the  chase,  he  depopulated  a 
large  district,  destroyed  thirty  villages,  and  drove  ou  the 
inhabitants. 

The  other  memorial  is  a  less  painful  one.  It  is  a  book 
which  he  caused  to  be  made,  called  Doomsday  Book, 
being  a  survey  of  the  whole  kingdom,  giving  an  account 
of  the  extent  of  every  parish,  with  all  particulars  respect- 
ing it. — This  book  is  still  preserved  in  the  Tower  ;  and 
all  possessors  of  estates,  who  are  curious  to  know  to  whom 
their  lands  belonged  at  the  Conquest,  whether  it  was  aia- 
ble  or  pasture,  what  was  then  its  value,  and,  in  some 
cases,  what  cattle  it  was  stocked  with,  may  there  make 
themselves  acquainted  with  these  circumstances.    - 


The  national  appellation  of  Britons,  that  of  the  primitive 
Inlanders,  in  time  gave  place  to  that  of  Anglo-Saxons- — the 

How  and  wnere  did  William  die  ? 
Who  were  William's  wife  and  children  ? 
What  is  the  most  memorable  act  of  William  ' 
What  other  memorial  of  William  exists? 
Who  were  the  Anglo-Saxons  f 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  55    - 

latter  signifying  Saxons  born  in  England,  so  that  a  history 
of  the  Anglo-Saxons  relates  to  the  people  who  inhabited 
England  from  the  Saxon  to  the  Norman  invasion. 

The  Anglo-Saxons  were  divided  into  nobility  and  vas- 
sals ;  that  is,  into  great  landholders  and  the  cultivators  of 
their  estates.  The  conquest  changed  the  owners  of  pro- 
perty in  England,  but  it  did  not  much  change  the  order  of 
rank  in  the  king's  subjects.  There  were  several  degrees, 
and  more  distinct  than  classes  of  people  in  the  present  age. 

The  highest  in  rank,  after  the  king,  were  the  barons, 
who  were  made  rich  and  powerful  by  the  lands  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  nobles.  Another  class  was  composed  of 
Norman  and  foreign  soldiers,  who  had  helped  to  achieve 
the  conquest  of  the  island,  and  who  settled  on  the  lands 
that  had  been  given  to  their  leaders,  and  became  their 
vassals  and  tenants. 

With  this  class  became  blended  gradually  the  Anglo- 
Saxon  thanes,  or  nobles,  who  were  all  degraded  from  their 
former  rank,  and  stripped  of  the  greater  part  of  their  pos- 
sessions ;  and  also  the  Anglo-Saxon  ceorls,  or  farmers,  who 
if  they  had  never  taken  up  arms  against  the  Conqueror, 
were  allowed,  on  putting  themselves  under  the  protection 
of  some  Norman  baron,  to  live  without  molestation.  We 
may  suppose,  in  general,  that  from  this  extensive  class 
are  chiefly  derived  the  English  gentlemen  and  farmers. 

Saxon  and  Norman  are  now  melted  together.  But  it 
*vas  not  tiL  long  after  William  and  his  followers  were 
uo  more,  that  the  descendants  of  the  two  nations  could 
endure  each  other ;  the  Normans  holding  in  contempt 
the  stupid  ignorant  Saxons ;  and  the  Saxons  detesting 
their  tyrannical  oppressors. 

The  clergy  also  formed  a  distinct  numerous  body.  At 
the  time  of  the  Norman  invasion,  nearly  a  third  part  of 
the  land  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  monasteries,  nunneries, 
and  the  clergy ;  and  this  is  supposed  to  have  been  one  great 
cause  of  the  duke  of  Normandy's  easy  victory.     William 


Who  were  the  lords  and  tenants  after  the  Conquest  ? 
What  became  of  the  Anglo-Saxon  lords  ? 
Did  the  Saxons  and  Normans  like  each  other? 
Were  the   cle*gy  a  numerous  and  wealthy  class  among  the  Angl'. 
Saxons  ? 


56  ENGLISH  HIS1  )RY. 

suilered  the  laboring  classes  to  remain  very  much  in  tlic 
condition  in  w  hich  he  found  them.  The  lowest  rank  01 
the  people  had  few,  if  any,  rights  of  their  own.  These 
were  usually,  like  the  Russian  peasants  of  our  own  times, 
considered  as  annexed  to  the  estate  on  which  they  lived, 
and  were  bought  and  sold  together  with  it.  Domestic 
slaves  were  numerous  ;  and  these  were  the  most  misera- 
ble and  degraded  class  of  any.  The  children  of  these 
poor  people  were  slaves  equally  with  their  parents  :  and 
thus  the  number  of  persons  in  the  condition  of  slavery 
was  very  great ;  though  there  were  many  ways  by  which 
emancipation  might  be  obtained.  Free  laborers,  then 
worked  for  hire,  as  the  laborers  of  our  own  times  do, 
though  few,  compared  with  the  number  of  slaves. 

In  towns  there  was  another  class  of  people  called  Burg- 
hers. These  were  tradesmen,  or  merchants,  who  joined 
together  in  little  societies,  called  Gilds :  but  in  this  reign 
they  had  not  become  a  numerous,  or  at  least  not  a  pow- 
erful body. 

William  used  every  means  in  his  power  to  introduce 
the  Norman  or  French  into  England,  and  to  eradicate  the 
A.nglo-Saxon  language.  He  altered  many  of  the  old  Saxon 
laws,  and  established  Norman  instead  ;  which  were  all 
written  in  Norman-French ;  and  he  ordered  that  law- 
business  should  be  carried  on  in  that  language. 

William  also  required  that  French,  instead  of  Saxon 
should  be  taught  to  the  children  in  the  schools :  but  it  is 
easier  to  conquer  a  kingdom  than  to  change  a  language  : 
and  after  an  ineffectual  struggle,  which  lasted  three  cen- 
turies, the  Saxon  got  the  better  at  last;  and,  with  some 
intermixture  of  the  Norman,  forms  the  basis  of  the  lan- 
guage we  now  speak. 

The  Saxons  were  masters  of  England  from  A.D.  460 
to  A.D.  1066.  Six  hundred  years  were  time  sufficient 
to  establish  their  language  in  the  country.    \[ 

Were  slaves  numerous  in  England  under  the  Norma  i  Conquest 

Who  were  the  burghers  ? 

Did  William  succeed  in  introducing  the  French  into  Englanu  I 

How  did  he  modify  the  Saxon  tongue  in  England  ? 

flow  long  did  the  Saxons  rule  in  England  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY. 


57 


CHAPTER  VIJ 

WILLIAM   II. 
Tears  after  Christ,  1087—1100.] 


T 


St..  Michel. 


William,  second  son  of  William  the  Conqueror,  was 
twenty-seven  years  old  when  he  became  king.  Like  his 
father,  he  had  great  bodily  strength  and  activity,  and  he 
resembled  him  also  in  the  sternness  of  his  countenance. 
His  complexion  was  ruddy,  and  his  hair  red,  on  which 
account  he  obtained  the  surname  of  Rufus.  He  was  brave 
and  active  in  war,  like  his  father,  and  like  him  was  ambi- 
tious and  rapacious ;  but  had  not  any  of  his  great  or  good 
qualities :  for  he  was  irreligious,  a  lover  of  low  company, 
and  of  excessive  drinking.  He  was  very  passionate,  and 
had  not  high  principles  of  honor  or  honesty. 

His  father  was  scarcely  dead  when  he  set  off  for  England 
to  secure  the  inheritance  which  was  left  him,  and  to  seize 
upon  the  royal  treasures.  It  is  but  justice  to  say,  that  with 
Dart  of  them  he  paid  his  father's  legacy  to  his  brotr  ei 
Henry.   His  fierce  and  imperious  temper  being  well  known 


What  was  the  character  of  William  II.  ? 

Was  William  an  acceptable  king  to  the  Anglo-Saxons  ? 


58  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

to  the  Anglo-Norman  barons,  they  were  sorry  to  have 
him  fcr  their  king,  and  made  a  rebellion  to  place  his  eldei 
brother  Robert,  who  was  a  much  greater  favorite  with 
them,  on  the  throne. 

William  Rufus  now  found  it  convenient  to  make  friends 
with  the  Anglo-Saxons,  who  composed  the  great  mass  oi 
the  people ;  and  he  promised  to  restore  many  of  their  rights 
and  privileges.  By  their  help,  he  speedily  subdued  the 
rebellion  of  the  barons.  The  fair  promises  which  he  had 
made  to  the  Anglo-Saxons  he  very  soon  forgot ;  but  he 
never  forgot  his  resentment  against  Robert,  on  whom  he 
retaliated  by  attacking  his  possessions  in  Normandy ;  and 
this  kept  the  two  brothers  in  a  continual  state  of  emnity. 

The  only  occasion  on  which  they  ever  agreed  was  when 
they  joined  to  oppress  their  brother  Henry.  Henry's  inhe- 
ritance had  been  left  him  in  money.  Robert,  who  was 
always  extravagant  and  thriftless,  had  been  glad  to  sell  to 
him  a  part  of  Normandy,  called  Cotentin,  and  now,  in 
concert  with  William,  sought  to  deprive  him  of  it.  Henry, 
being  both  brave  and  determined,  would  not  tamely  give 
it  up,  and  with  a  small  number  of  men  fortified  himself  in 
Mont  St.  Michel ;  but,  after  enduring  a  very  rigorous 
siege,  he  was  at  last  obliged  to  surrender  for  want  of  pro- 
visions Having  thus  lost  every  tiring,  he,  with  a  few 
faithful  followers,  who  would  not  forsake  him  in  his  dis- 
tress, wandered  about,  often  in  want  of  necessaries,  and 
always  in  want  of  a  home. 

Some  time  after  this,  Robert  went  on  the  crusade  to 
the  Holy  Land  ;  and  to  procure  money  for  this  expedition, 
he  lent  or  mortgaged  his  duchy  for  five  years  to  his  bro- 
ther William,  for  ten  thousand  marks.  William  extorted 
the  money  from  his  English  subjects  ;  and  then  took  pos- 
session of  Normandy.  He  did  not  find  it  a  very  peaceable 
possession,  for  it  involved  him  in  continual  quarrels  and 
wars,  with  the  kino;  of  France,  in  which  sometimes  the 
French,  and  sometimes  the  Normans  had  the  advantage 
K  In  one  of  these  encounters,  Heli  de  la  Fleche,  a  very 
brave  baron,  was  taken  prisoner  by  William.     After  some 

What  was  William's  treatment  to  his  subjects,  and  of  his  I  roth'  i 
.Robert  ? 

Did  Robert  and  William  love  their  brother  Henry? 
How  aid  William  II.  obtain  possession  of  Normandy 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  59 

time  he  regained  his  liberty,  and  then,  coming  to  William 
made  him  an  offer  of  his  services.  The  king  rejected 
hem  ;  on  which  Heli  went  out,  saying  he  would  be  re- 
venged for  the  indignity.  William  called  after  him,  in  a 
very  rude  and  haughty  manner,  "  to  be  gone  and  do  his 
worst."  As  soon  as  Heli  arrived  in  France,  he  attacked 
William's  territories  there,  and  obtained  possession  of  the 
town  of  Mans 

The  news  of  this  event  was  brought  to  William  while 
lie  was  hunting  in  the  New  Forest.  He  instantly  left  the 
chase  and  galloped  off  to  the  sea  coast,  and  embarked  for 
Normandy.  It  blew  so  furious  a  storm,  that  the  sailors  at 
first  refused  to  put  to  sea.  The  king's  impatience,  how- 
ever, was  so  great,  that  he  would  not  listen  to  them.  He 
insisted  on  their  setting  sail,  and  contrary  to  all  expecta- 
tion, landed  safely  at  Barfleur  the  next  morning. 

Heli  de  la  Fleche  was  soon  driven  oi  t  of  Mans,  and 
William  returned  to  England  to  complete  •,  he  preparations 
in  which  he  had  been  engaged  for  takii  g  possession  of 
Guienne,  which  the  duke  of  Guienne,  had  mortgaged  to 
him,  as  Robert  had  mortgaged  Normandy.  But  a  sudden 
end  was  put  to  all  his  ambitious  projects :  for  going  to 
hunt  in  the  New  Forest,  during  the  time  in  which  he  was 
awaiting  a  fair  wind  to  take  his  army  over  to  France,  he 
was  shot  by  an  arrow  from  the  bow  of  sir  Walter,  TyrreJ, 
who  was  hunting  with  him. 

A  D  lino  William  was  killed  in  the  fortieth  year  oi 
his  age.  and  the  thirteenth  of  his  reign. 
He  Avas  never  married.  William  built  Westminster  Hail 
and  the  Tower  of  London. 

The  remarkable  circumstance  of  this  reign  was,  that 
Magnus,  king  of  Norway,  made  a  descent  on  Anglesea 
in  1098.  This  was  the  last  attempt  on  England  by  any 
)f  the  northern  nations.  Those  restless  people  learned 
about  this  time  the  art  of  tillage,  which  piovided  them 


What  baron  rebe'Ied  against  William  ? 

Did  William  attack  de  la  Fleche  ? 

What  prevented  William  from  taking  possession  of  Guienne  ? 

When  was  William  killed  ? 

Arhen  did  the  Northmen  make  their  last  descent  upon  England  ? 


GO  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

with  food,  and  gave  them  occupation  at  home,  and  tlrnj- 
freed  the  rest  of  Europe  from  their  predatory  invasions 


\ 


To  explain  Robert  of  Normandy's  expedition ,  U  is  neces*< 
sary  the  reader  should  know  what  is  meant  by  Crusades. 
The  crusades  were  religious  wars.  After  his  death,  the 
Romans  were  masters  of  Jerusalem,  and  of  the  whole  coun- 
try which  had  been  the  scene  of  the  life  and  labors  of 
Jesus.  Near  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century,  the  Roman 
Empire  became  partially  Christian,  and  Helena,  the  mo- 
ther of  Constantine,  took  upon  herself  to  identify  the  very 
spot  at  Jerusalem  "  where  the  Lord  lay,"  and  also  to  erect 
churches  and  other  monuments  on  the  places  consecrated 
by  his  living  actions. 

After  the  erection  of  these  edifices,  and  the  establish- 
ment of  convents  in  the  Holy  Land,  as  Palestine  began 
to  be  called,  religious  persons  from  different  and  distant 
countries  of  Europe  thought  it  a  duty  to  make  journeys 
thither,  in  order  to  visit  the  shrines  or  sacred  buildings, 
which  had  been  raised  in  honor  of  Christ.  These  pious 
travelers  were  called  pilgrims,  and  their  journey  was  a 
pilgrimage. 

The  pilgrims  chiefly  begged  their  way  through  the  coun 
tries  over  which  they  traveled,  and  were  regarded  with 
universal  respect  by  all  Christians.  They  usually  dressed 
it  a  plain  garb,  carried  a  scrip,  or  bag  for  their  food,  and 
sustained  themselves  upon  a  staff  surmounted  by  a  cross 
and  had  fastened  to  the  front  of  their  hats  a  scollop-shell 
When  they  returned  from  the  Holy  Land  they  frequently 
brought  with  them  a  branch  of  palm,  a  tree  of  that  coun- 
try, whence  they  were  called  palmers. 

One  of  these  pilgrims,  named  Peter  the  Hermit,  though 
only  a  poor  priest,  has  made  himself  more  distinguished  in 
history  than  the  most  potent  monarch  of  his  time.  On  hi? 
return  from  the  Holy  Land,  inflamed  by  zeal  for  religion 

What  were  Crusades? 

What  were  pilgrimages  ? 

What  were  the  habits  of  the  pilgrims  ? 

Who  was  Peter  the  Herm'.t  ? 


ENGLISH   HIS'lORY.  61 

and  by  resentment  against  the  Mohammedans,  he  went 
about  from  country  to  country,  exhorting  the  princes  and 
nobles  of  Europe  to  go  and  fight  against  the  pagans,  and 
drive  them  from  Jerusalem.  The  pope  entered  warmly 
into  this  cause. 

Vast  armies  were  fitted  out  by  different  princes,  and  from 
A.  D.  1097  to  A.  D.  1248,  about  one  hundred  and  fiftj 
years,  four  different  Crusades  were  undertaken.  More 
than  two  millions  of  men  from  England  and  southern  Eu- 
rope, are  supposed  to  have  marched  into  Asia  upon  these 
expeditions,  and  the  greater  number  lost  their  li  ^es.  These 
wars  were  called  Crusades,  from  the  circumstance  that  a 
figure  of  the  cross  was  a  badge  of  the  warriors — it  was 
painted  upon  their  banners,  engraved  on  their  shields,  ana 
embroidered  in  their  garments. 

Having  endured  hardships  of  every  kind,  and  contended 
against  numerous  hosts  of  enemies,  the  crusaders,  undei 
the  command  of  Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  possessed  themselves 
of  Jerusalem  after  a  bloody  siege.  They  elected  Godfrey 
king  ;  and  the  city  remained  for  about  one  hundred  years 
in  the  possession  of  the  Christians,  when  it  was  re-con- 
quered by  Saladin,  the  sultan  of  Egypt. 

It  was  considered  a  religious  duty  to  go  to  the  Crusades, 
and  it  was  thought  that  those  who  died  in  the  Holy  Land 
were  sure  to  be  received  into  heaven,  let  their  lives  have 
been  ever  so  bad.  Those  who  returned  gained  the  ad- 
vantage of  being  much  honored  in  their  lives ;  and  at 
their  deaths  had  the  privilege  of  having  their  figures  rep- 
resented on  their  tombs,  to  show  to  all  succeeding  gene- 
rations that  they  had  served  in  the  holy. wars. 

Out  of  so  much  that  was  bad  in  these  enterprises,  God 
permitted  some  good  to  arise.  The  people  of  Constan- 
tin  3ple,  and  some  of  the  countries  in  the  east  through  which 
the  Crusaders  traveled  were  much  better  informed  than 
those  in  Western  Europe.  The  Saracens  also  were  ven 
superior  to  the  Europeans  in  their  knowledge  of  the  sci 
ences,andinmanyof  the  arts  and  elegancies  of  life.  Much 
of  this  knowledge  was  brought  home  by  the  crusaders 

How  many  Crusades  were  undertaken  ? 
Did  the  Crusaders  make  any  conquests  ? 
What  induced  men  to  go  to  the  Crusades  ? 
Did  any  good  arise  f<  om  the  Crusades  ? 


62  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

The  pilvate  misery  which  those  wars  occasioned  is  now 
over,  but  the  knowledge  remains,  and  seems  transferred 
to  us.  Whilst  Europeans,  and  their  American  descend- 
ants have  been  improving  and  gaining  knowledge  ever 
since,  all  the  people  of  the  East  have  been  standing  ab- 
solutely still. 


i 


CHAPTER    VIII. 
henry:  i. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1100-  1135.] 

Henry,  the  Conqueror's  youngest  son,  who  was  huntir.g 
with  William,  in  the  New  Forest,  at  the  time  when  he  was 
slain  by  Tyrrel,  instead  of  showing  any  concern  at  his 
brother's  death,  or  even  waiting  to  see  his  body  borne  away 
from  the  spot  where  he  fell,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  rode 
directly  to  Winchester,  where  he  seized  on  the  royal  trea- 
sure. He  then  hastened  to  London ;  and  by  gifts  and 
promises,  disposed  the  people  so  much  in  his  favor,  that 
they  crowded  him  King,  by  the  name  of  Henry  I.,  in  vio- 
lation of  the  right  of  his  brother,  Robert,  who  was  still  in 
Palestine. 

Henry's  character  was  made  up  of  an  extraordinary 
mixture  of  good  and  engaging  qualities,  with  many  bad 
ones.  Courage,  intrepidity,  political  wisdom,  impartial 
administration  of  justice  to  his  people,  love  for  his  chil- 
dren, a  fine  understanding,  and  facetious  humor  are 
described  of  him  by  the  historians  of  his  time,  and  incline 
us  to  admire  him.  On  the  other  hand,  his  ambition  and 
avarice,  his  unjust  usurpation,  and  his  wicked  conduct  to 
his  brother  Robert,  and  to  his  nephew  William,  (Robert's 
Hon,)  oblige  us  to  acknowledge  that,  notwithstanding  his 
dazzling  qualities,  he  must  have  been  a  bad  man.     He  had 


How  did  Henry,  the  brother  of  William  II.  act  on  the  king's  death  * 
What  sort  c'  a  man  was  Henry  I.  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  63 

received,  what  was  considered  in  those  days,  a  learned 
education ;  and  from  that  circumstance,  he  acquired  the 
surname  of  Beauclerc,  or  fine  scholar. 

Henry  began  his  reign  by  promising  to  redress  all  the 
evils  his  father  and  brother  had  inflicted  on  the  Anglo- 
Saxons,  and  granted  them  a  charter  of  privileges  ;  or,  more 
properly  speaking,  restored  Edward  the  Confessor's  code 
of  laws,  to  which  the  people  were  much  attached.  He  ban- 
ished from  his  court  all  William's  profligate  associates, 
and  recalled  from  exile  Anselm,  archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
who  had  been  banished  by  Rufus  for  refusing  to  receive 
investiture  from  his  hands.  The  more  to  endear  himself  to 
his  English  subjects,  Henry  married  Matilda,  daughter 
of  Malcolm,  king  of  Scotland.  He  also  remitted  many 
debts  that  were  owing  to  the  crown,  and  omitted  nothing 
that  could  endear  him  to  the  people. 

In  the  mean  time,  duke  Robert  had  returned  from  the 
Holy  Land,  and  resumed  the  possession  of  Normandy. 
He  lost  no  time  in  making  preparations  for  invading  Eng- 
land, and  asserting  his  right  to  the  crown.  He  was  joined 
by  some  discontented  barons,  and  landed  with  his  army  at 
Portsmouth,  on  the  1 9th  of  July,  1101.  Henry  now  found 
the  benefit  of  the  conciliatory  conduct  which  he  had  pur- 
sued towards  the  English,  who  remained  firm  to  him, 
while  the  Normans  chiefly  adhered  to  Robert.  Henry 
marched  to  Portsmouth,  with  a  numerous  army,  to  oppose 
his  brother. 

The  two  armies  stood  facing  each  other  several  days,  as 
if  awe-struck,  without  coming  to  an  engagement ;  which 
gave  Anselm,  and  some  of  the  barons,  who  were  desirous 
of  peace,  an  opportunity  of  concluding  a  treaty  between 
the  two  princes,  in  which  it  was  stipulated  that  Robert 
should  give  up  his  pretentions  to  the  crown  of  England, 
in  consideration  of  Henry's  granting  him  a  pension  of 
S000  marks,  and  promising  to  restore  to  their  honors  and 
estates  in  England,  those  Anglo-Normans,  who  had  joined 
with  him. 


By  what  measures  did  Henry  commend  himself  to  his  sabjccU)  V 
Did  Robert  acquiesce  in  the  usurpation  of  Henry  I 
On  what  conditions  did  the  rival  brothers  make  peace  ? 


64  ENGLISH  HISTORk. 

It  was  further  agreed,  that,  if  eitner  of  the  brothtu 
should  die  without  children,  the  other  should  succeed  to  hit 
dominions.  The  two  armies  were  then  disbanded,  and 
Robert  spent  two  months  with  his  brother  in  feasts  and 
amusements,  and  then  returned  to  Normandy.  But  as 
soon  as  Robert  was  gone,  Henry  took  the  first  opportunity 
of  degrading  those  barons  who  had  taken  his  side. 

When  Robert  heard  this,  he  returned  to  England,  and 
remonstrated  with  Henry  on  this  breach  of  the  treaty  ;  but 
he  soon  found,  that,  instead  of  benefiting  his  friends  by 
staying  in  his  brother's  dominions,  he  was  endangering 
himself ;  and  he  only  escaped  in  safety  by  consenting  to 
give  up  his  pension. 

The  Norman  barons  were  now  made  discontented  by 
Robert's  imprudence,  and  mismanagement  of  his  affairs. 
In  1104  they  invited  Henry  to  come  over  and  settle  their 
disagreements  with  their  duke ;  an  invitation  which  Henry 
gladly  accepted  :  and  he  acted  so  craftily,  that  he  weak- 
ened and  humbled  his  brother's  party,  and  prepared  the 
way  for  obtaining  Normandy  for  himself.  During  the 
two  following  years,  Robert  entangled  himself  more  and 
more  in  difficulties,  and  Henry  gained  every  possible 
advantage  over  his  inconsiderate  brother,  -f  > 

A  D  nnfi  Henry  made  a  direct  invasion  of  Nor- 
mandy, and  in  a  battle  fought  on  the  28th 
^f  September,  he  took  Robert  and  many  of  his  nobles  prison- 
ers, amongst  the  latter  was  Edgar  Atheling.  Edgar,  how- 
ever, was  considered  no  formidable  enemy,  and  was  soon  set 
atliberty  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  harmless  and  envi- 
able obscurity.  His  Saxon  blood,  and  his  mild  and  amiable 
disposition,  made  him  the  idol  of  the  English ;  while  his 
imbecility  and  want  of  enterprise,  rendered  him  too  insig 
nificant  to  be  feared  by  the  Normans.  The  only  spirited 
thing  we  hear  of  Edgar  is,  that  he  had  accompanied  Robert 
to  the  Holy  Land. 

Robert  was  brought  prisoner  to  England ;  and  his 
cruel  and  unrelenting  brother  kept  him  in  perpetual 
confinement  till  his  death,  twenty-eight  years  afterwards 

Was  Henry  faithful  to  the  treaty  which  he  made  with  Robert  ? 
Did  Henry  ever  avail  himself  of  Robert's  mismanagement? 
What  became  of  Robert,  and  of  Edgar  Atheling  ? 
Wluui  did  Robert  die,  and  what  became  of  his  son? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  65 

The  whole  of  Normandy  now  submitted  to  Henry.  Ro- 
bert's son  William,  a  child  of  six  years  old,  was  found  in 
the  castle  of  Falaise,  and  was  committed  by  Henry  to  the 
care  of  Helie  de  St.  Saen,  who  had  married  a  daughtei 
of  Robert 

Every  thing  had  prospered  with  Henry,  according  to  his 
ambitious  wishes  ;  but  while  his  brother's  son  lived,  he 
stood  in  the  way  of  his  secure  possession  of  the  crown. 
Henry  therefore  sent  Robert  Beauchamp  to  surprise  the 
castle  of  St.  Saen,  during  the  absence  of  its  lord,  and  to 
seize  on  the  young  prince  :  but,  by  the  vigilance,  and 
fidelity  of  the  people  who  were  left  in  charge  of  him,  the 
child  was  carried  to  a  place  of  safety. 

Herry,  enraged  at  his  disappointment,  confiscated  all  the 
property  of  Helie  de  St.  Saen,  who  having  no  longer  a 
home  of  his  own,  wandered  about  from  court  to  court, 
claiming  protection  for  his  royal  charge,  who  was  every 
where  pitied  for  his  misfortunes,  and  admired  for  the  beauty 
of  his  person.  The  earl  of  Anjou  engaged  to  assist  him, 
and  promised  him  his  daughter,  Sibylla,  in  marriage. 

Henry  no  sooner  heard  that  his  nephew  had  acquired  so 
powerful  a  friend,  than  he  determined  to  prevent  the  in- 
tended match,  and  offered  his  own,  and  only  son,  William, 
in  marriage  to  Matilda,  another  of  the  earl's  daughters. 
The  earl  found  this  temptation  so  strong,  that  he  broke  off 
the  contract  with  WTilliam  the  son  of  Robert,  and  concluded 
one  with  William  the  son  of  Henry.  The  faithful  Helie, 
and  the  unfortunate  prince,  then  retired  from  the  court  of 
Anjou  to  that  of  Baldwin,  earl  of  Flanders,  where  they 
were  recieved  with  great  kindness. 

For  the  next  five  years,  whatever  conflicts  the  king  might 
suffer  in  his  own  mind,  the  country,  at  least  enjoyed  tran- 
quillity. Henry  was,  however,  still  so  suspicious  of  his 
son's  righo  to  the  crown  being  disputed,  that  he  required 
all  his  earls  and  barons  to  swear  fealty  to  him  ;  and  he 


Did  King  Henry  get  possession  of  prince  "William? 
Who  befriended  prince  William  ? 

By  what  selfish  motive  was  the  earl  of  Anjou  alienated  from  the  intev 
est  of  Prince  William  1 

If  the  earl  of  Anjou  had  been  a  just  man  would  he  have  acted  thus  ? 
Ans.  whatever  the  pupil  thinks  right.) 

4 


G6 


KVOlJSH  HISTORY 


endeavored,  by  great  promises,  to  entice  his  nephew  to 
his  court.  But  William  could  not  forget  his  unhappy  fa- 
ther, still  languishing  in  prison,  and  would  not  put  himself 
in  his  uncle's  power.  In  1118,  Louis  le  Gros,  king  of 
France,  with  the  earls  of  Flanders  and  Anjou,  formed  an 
alliance  against  Henry,  in  favor  of  William,  and  were 
joined  by  several  disaffected  Norman  barons. 

Henry  was  now  surrounded  by  enemies,  both  secret  and 
declared,  and  knew  not  whom  to  trust,  nor  whom  to  fear 
He  slept  in  armor,  and  with  a  guard  watching  in  his  apart- 
ment. Nevertheless,  his  vigilance  and  prudence  did  not 
forsake  him.  He  contrived  to  win  over  the  Norman  ba- 
rons ;  and  detached  the  earl  of  Anjou  from  the  alliance 
with  France,  by  solemnizing  the  marriage  that  had  before 
been  contracted  forbetweenhissonandthe  earl's  daughter. 

The  king  of  France  and  the  barons  confederated  with 
him  met  Henry  in  the  plain  of  Brenneville,  not  very  far 
from  Rouen,  and  a  fierce  battle  ensued,  in  which  the  Eng- 
lish army  was  victorious,  and  the  king  of  France  and 
prince  William  escaped  with  some  difficulty.] 

Henry  spent  the  geater  part  of  the  year  1 120  in  Nor- 
mandy, endeavoring  to  strengthen  the  certainty  of  his  son's 
succession,  who  was  now  eighteen  years  old.  But  how 
useless  was  all  this  anxiety  !  This  beloved  son,  for  whose 
aggrandisement  he  had  done  and  sacrificed  so  mum,  was 
suddenly  snatched  from  him.  He  was  returning  to  Eng- 
land with  a  numerous  train,  and  many  ships ;  one  of  which, 
called  the  White  Ship,  was  allotted  to  the  prince  and  his 
retinue.  The  prince  had  ordered  some  wine  to  be  given 
to  the  ship's  crew,  of  which  they  drank  so  freely  that 
many  of  them  were  intoxicated.  The  rest  of  the  fleet  had 
meanwhile  sailed,  and  Fitzstephen,  the  commander  of  the 
White  Ship,  crowding  all  his  sails,  and  plying  all  his  oars, 
to  overtake  them,  the  vessel  suddenly  struck  upon  a  rock. 
A.  boat  was  immediately  let  down,  into  which  the  prince 
tind  some  of  the  young  nobles  were  hurried  ;  and  they 
might  have  reached'he  shore  in  safety, had  not  the  prince 


Did  prince  William  come  to  his  uncle's  court,— and  why  uol 
Did  Henry  enjoy  life  without  fear  of  enemies  ? 
Where  did  Henry  defeat  the  French  king  \ 
What  happened  to  the  king's  eldest  sonf 


ENGLISH   HISTORY*.  G7 

insisted  on  going  back  to  rescue  his  sister,  the  countess  ol 
Perche,  whose  shrieks  he  heard  from  the  ship,  where  all 
was  terror  and  confusion.  As  soon  as  the  boat  approached 
the  vess  3l,  so  many  persons  jumped  into  it,  that  it  instantly 
sank,  and  every  creature  perished. 

Thus  died  the  prince,  with  many  of  the  young  nobles, 
and  several  ladies  of  rank.  Of  three  hundred  persons 
who  were  on  board,  a  butcher  of  Rouen,  of  the  name  oi 
Bertould,  who  by  clinging  to  the  mast  contrived  to  keep 
his  head  above  water  till  the  next  morning,  when  he  was 
picked  up  by  some  fisherman,  was  the  only  one  who 
escaped.  The  captain  had  also  clung  to  the  same  mast, 
but  when  told  by  the  butcher  that  the  prince  had  perished, 
he  would  not  survive  so  great  a  disaster,  and  thew  himself 
headlong  into  the  sea. 

The  news  of  this  misfortune  reached  England  the  next 
day ;  but  it  was  three  days  before  any  one  had  courage 
to  tell  the  king  of  it.  At  last  a  boy  was  instructed  to  fall 
at  his  feet,  and  tell  him  that  the  prince  and  all  on  board 
the  White  Ship  were  lost.  Henry  immediately  fainted, 
and  it  was  a  long  time  before  the  violence  of  his  grief 
abated.  He  had  now  only  one  legitimate  child  left,  his 
daughter  Matilda,  who  was  married  to  Henry  V.,  emperor 
of  Germany,  but  had  no  children. 

The  death  of  the  prince  of  England  encouraged  the 
friends  of  his  cousin  William  to  make  fresh  attempts  in 
his  favor  ;  but  they  were  unattended  with  any  permament 
success  ;  and  William  returned  to  the  court  of  Louis,  and 
married  a  sister  of  the  queen  of  France,  with  whom  he 
received  a  small  domain  as  her  dower,  and  thus  at  last 
became  possessed  of  a  spot  of  ground  that  he  might  call 
his  own. 

A  few  years  afterwards,  the  king  of  France  put  him  in 
possession  of  a  part  of  Flanders,  to  which  he  had  a  claim 
in  right  of  his  grandmother  Matilda,  wife  of  the  Conqueror, 
who  was  the  daughter  of  an  earl  of  Flanders.     But  no 


By  what  generous  action  did  the  prince  expose  his  own  life  f 
Who  perished  and  who  was  saved  in  this  shipwrecn  ? 
Who  communicated  to   Henry  the  death  of  his   son,  and  who    was 
his  only  remaining  child  ? 

What  happened  to  prince  William,  Robert's  son  ? 


68  ENGLISH  HISTOJIT 

sooner  did  fortune  seem  to  smile  on  this  young  princethrjn 
he  died  of  wounds  received  in  a  skirmish  with  the  land- 
grave of  Alsace.  Before  his  death  he  wrote  a  letter  to 
king  Henry,  entreating  his  favor  for  Helie  de  St.  Saen, 
and  the  other  barons  who  had  followed  his  fortunes.  It 
is  pleasing  to  be  aole  to  add  that  this  last  request  of  the 
gallant  and  ill-fated  son  of  Robert  was  kindly  attended  to. 

A  D  11 26  Henry's  daughter  Matilda  had  become  a 
widow.  She  then  returned  to  live  with 
her  father,  who  made  all  his  nobles  swear  fealty  to  her,  as 
they  had  formerly  done  to  her  brother.  The  following 
year  she  was  married  to  GeofTry,  eldest  son  of  the  earl  of 
A.njou  ;  and  Henry  who  was  devotedly  fond  of  her,  spent 
the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  Normandy,  that  he  might  be 
near  her. 

After  living  to  see  Matilda  the  mother  of  three  sons, 
Henry  died  on  the  first  of  December,  11 35,  at  St.  Denis, 
a  little  village  in  Normandy,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age, 
and  the  36th  year  of  his  reign,  A.  D.  1135.  His  body 
was  brought  to  England,  and  was  buried  in  the  abbey  he 
had  founded  at  Reading. 

His  first  wife  was  daughter  of  Malcolm,  king  of  Scot- 
land. Their  children  were  William,  who  married  a 
daughter  of  the  earl  of  Flanders,  and  was  drowned,  and 
Matilda,  married  first  to  Henry  V.,  emperor  of  Germany, 
and  secondly,  to  GeofTry,  son  of  the  earl  of  Anjou.  Henrv, 
by  his  will,  left  all  his  dominions  to  his  daughter,  to  the 
exclusion  of  her  husband  GeofTry.       , 


It  is  proper  here  to  notice  the  state  of  society  and  man- 
ners in  England  in  the  12th  century,  and  subsequently 
for  a  considerable  time.  Anselm,  archbishop  of  Canter- 
bury, (as  was  stated  page  63)  refused  to  receive  investi- 


What  affectionate  and  grateful  act  was  the   last  of  prince  Williani's 
life  ! 

Is  gratitude  Hue  to  benefactors  ?     (Ans.  the  pupiVs  own  judgmcrd  , 
Where  did  Henry  spend  his  last  days,  and  when  did  he  die  ? 
Who  were  Henry's  family  ? 
Who  refused  investiture  from  William  Rufus  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  •  69 

turc  from  William  Rufus,  and  was  banished.  It  has 
been  related  in  what  manner  the  Pope's  power  was  estab- 
lished in  England,  but  the  Norman  kings  were  only  Ca- 
tholics in  their  religious  worship  ;  they  bestowedlands  and 
other  property  upon  churches  and  convents  to  support 
bishops  and  priests ;  they  paid  nothing  to  the  Pope,  and 
did  not  admit  that  he  could  choose  ministers  for  English 
churches,  or  lay  taxes  upon  English  property. 

Anselm  maintained,  when  the  archbishopric  of  Canter- 
bury was  bestowed  upon  him,  that  the  place,  with  the 
power  the  Archbishop  exercised  and  the  riches  he  en- 
joyed, must  be  given  by  the  Pope.  Authority  to  bestow 
these  dignities,  he  called  the  right  of  investiture,  and 
maintained  that  it  belonged  to  the  Pope  ;  and  the  Pope, 
Pascal  II.,  claimed  such  authority.  Henry  I.  disputed  the 
Pope's  right  of  investiture,  and  claimed  it  himself,  but  after 
a  long  struggle  he  acknowledged  it.  This  authority  of 
popes  and  priests  is  called  ecclesiastical  power,  and  from 
this  time,  for  several  centuries  it  increased  in  England. 

Anselm  made  another  encroachment  upon  the  liberties 
of  the  English.  By  his  influence  a  regulation  was  made 
that  the  clergy  should  not  marry,  and  that  those  who  had 
wives  should  put  them  away  forever,  under  pain  of  severe 
punishment ;  and  in  his  preaching  he  inveighed  against 
the  gay  dress  of  females,  who  afterwards  conformed  to 
his  regulations,  m 


As  gunpowder  was  unknown,  the  warfare  of  that  age 
was  different  from  that  of  later  times.  When  the  Ro- 
mans landed  in  England,  the  Britons  had  no  kind  of  ar- 
mor, except  a  rude  sort  of  shield  ;  nor  does  it  appear  that 
the  Saxons  or  the  Danes  had  any  other  defence  except 
the  shield  and  helmet,  till  a  little  before  the  time  of  the 
Conquest,  when  the  nobles  and  leaders  of  their  armies 


What  power  had  the  first  Norman  kings  in  the  English  church,  and 
what  the  Pope  ? 

What  was  the  right  of  investiture,  and  was  it  established  in  the  Pope 
or  the  king  of  Engiand  ? 

What  circumstance  has  changed  Ine  art  if  war  and  what  w  as  the  ooat 
c»t  mail  ? 


70 


ENGLISH   HISTOKV. 


adopted  armor,  something  like  that  of  the  Normans 
The  whole  dress  "was  made  of  little  rings  of  iron,  much 
smaller  and  slighter  than  the  chain  of  a  horse's  bridle  ; 
and  these  were  all  linked  together  so  ingeniously,  like  net- 
work, that  it  fitted  close  to  the  limbs  and  body,  and  was  at 
die  same  time  as  flexible  as  a  stocking.  Under  this  they 
wore  a  dress  called  a  gambeso7i,  which  was  like  a  shirt 
without  sleeves  or  collar,  and  quilted  or  stuffed  with  wool ; 
sometimes  this  was  worn  over  the  hawberk  which  was 
the  name  of  the  coat  of  mail,  or  chain  armor. 

This  kind  of  armor  was  not  found  a  sufficient  defence 
against  the  point  of  a  spear  or  arrow  ;  in  the  fourteenth 
century  plate  armor  was  introduced,  so  called  from  being 
made  of  plates  of  iron,  which  were  often  so  heavy,  that 
when  a  knight  arrayed  in  it  was  overthrown,  he  lay  on 
the  ground  immovable  till  he  was  helped  up  :  and  there 
were  many  instances,  in  hot  weather,  and  in  the  press  of 
an  engagement,  of  persons  being  suflbcated  with  the  heat 
and  weight  of  their  armor.  There  was  also  an  interme- 
diate kind,  called  scale  armor,  formed  of  little  pieces  of 
iron  laid  one  over  another,  in  the  manner  of  the  scales  of 
a  fish. 

The  knights  fought  with  lances,  spears,  and  swords  , 
and  the  common  soldiers  with  slings  and  bows,  in  the  use 
of  which  the  English  excelled  almost  all  other  nations 
The  French  were  more  active,  but  the  English  possessed 
more  bodily  strength.  Besides  these  arms,  which  they 
carried  about  them,  they  used  various  machines  for  throw- 
ing darts  and  stones  to  a  great  distance.  <$~ 

The  violence  to  which  men  were  exposed  in  these  rude 
ages  from  one  another,  obliged  them  to  live  in  castles, — 
large  stone  houses,  surrounded  with  walls,  to  keep  ofl 
their  enemies  who  were  their  neighbors.  The  Conqueror 
and  his  two  sons  built  a  great  many  castles.  The  barons 
lived  like  so  many  little  kings,  each  in  his  own  castle 
with  his  train  of  followeis  ;  and  they  even  affected  the 
ceremonial  of  kings ;  for  their  servants  and  attendants 


Why  was  plate  armor  introduced,  and  what  was  sea  e  armor  i 
What  were  the  weapons  used  by  the  knights? 
What  were  castles,  and  who  dwelt  in  them  1 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  71 

instead  of  being  called  stewards,  grooms,  and  footmen,  were 
called  treasurers,  privy  counsellors,  heralds,  and  pages, 
and  by  other  honorable  titles. 

The  mode  of  living  in  these  castles  was  exceedingly  dis- 
agreeable to  the  Saxons.  Such  haughty  seclusion  was 
entirely  contrary  to  their  own  habits,  which  were  remark- 
ably convivial  and  social.  They  did  not  care  for  the  shab- 
biness  of  their  dwellings,  which  were  only  built  of 
wood,  and  thatched,  if  they  could  but  eat  and  drink,  and 
have  merry-makings  ;  while  the  Normans,  on  the  contra- 
ry, were  frugal  in  their  manner  of  living,  but  very  costly 
in  their  buildings. 

The  space  within  the  wall  was  the  court  of  the  castle, 
and  in  all  castles  there  was  an  enclosure  called  the  innei 
bailey,'  which  contained  the  square  tower,  or  keep,  in 
which  the  baron,  or  governor,  and  his  family  dwelt,  and  in 
which  all  the  stores,  and  arms,  and  valuable  things  were 
kept.  Under  the  keep  was  the  dungeon  for  prisoners 
The  chapel  also  stood  in  the  inner  bailey. 

The  servants  lived  between  the  walls  of  the  outer  and 
inner  enclosures,  which  space  was  called  the  outer  bailey, 
there  was  always  room  enough  for  the  soldiers'  lodgings,  the 
stables,  and  workshops  for  the  blacksmiths,  carpenters, 
and  other  artificers — all  the  articles  which  were  used  by  the 
great  family  within  being  manufactured  by  the  retainers — 
that  is  by  persons  who  belonged  to  the  lord  of  the  castle. 

The  postern  gate  was  a  small  private  entrance  in  th  ■ 
outer  wall,  through  which  the  lord  and  his  confidential 
servants  might,  pass  and  re-pass  privately.  The  best  apart- 
ments were  always  in  the  upper  stories  of  the  castle,  be- 
cause the  windows  at  the  bottom  part  were  only  little  slits 
in  the  walls,  while  those  above  were  made  the  larger,  the 
further  they  were  from  the  ground.  The  upper  parts  of 
the  castles  were,  of  course,  in  less  danger  from  the  enemy. 
In  those  rooms,  therefore,  the  inhabitants  indulged  them- 
eclves  with  air  and  daylight. 


Did  the  Saxons  like  the  manners  of  the  Norman  lords  ? 
What  was  the  constructiou  of  an  ancient  castle  ? 
Where  did  the  soldiers,  &c.  live  ? 

What  was   the  postern  gate  and  what  were  the  accomrnodaticu^  of 
a  family  in  an  ancient  castle  * 


72  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

The  soldiers  then  were  hardly  a  separate  class.  The 
king  gave  his  barons  lands  and  estates,  on  condition  that 
they  should  always  be  ready  to  attend  him  in  battle.  The 
barons  let  out  many  or  most  of  their  estates  to  persons  of 
inferior  rank,  on  the  same  condition ;  and  these  again  had 
others  under  them,  who  held  by  a  similar  tenure — this  is 
by  the  same  rule — not  to  pay  for  the  land,  but  to  follow  the 
lord  to  battle  whenever  he  should  require  their  services 

Whenever  the  baron  marched  to  war,  those  tenants, 
who  thus  held  their  estates  by  the  condition  of  military  ser- 
vice, marched  with  him  ;  and  though,  after  a  time,  it  was 
allowable  to  compound,  or  for  people  to  pay  money  to  ex 
cuse  themselves  from  actual  service,  yet  the  obligation  still 
remained  ;  and  this  sort  of  bond  between  the  king  and  his 
barons,  and  the  barons  and  their  retainers,  was  called  the 
feudal  system.   X 

h 


Every  great  baron's  dwelling  in  that  age  was  a  fortifi- 
cation, and  every  family  lived  in  dread  of  some  neighbor- 
ing chief.  The  cause  of  this  principally  was  the  unsettled 
state  of  property.  In  what  are  called  the  middle  ages, 
from  the  tenth  to  the  sixteenth  century,  wars  in  Europe 
deprived  conquered  nations  of  their  lands,  and  the  victo- 
rious military  chiefs  took  whole  provinces,  as  Rollo  took 
Normandy,  and  William  I.  took  England.  The  lands  seiz- 
ed by  these  military  chiefs  were  divided  among  the  offi- 
cers of  the  chief;  and  the  followers  of  that  chief,  and  the 
former  occupants  of  the  soil,  became  the  vassals  of  the 
great  lord. 

These  poor  people  were  not  acquainted  with  the  use- 
ful arts  01  comforts  of  life  that  we  enjoy,  but  they  could  take 
care  of  cattle,  cultivate  the  soil  in  a  rude  and  imperfect  man- 
ner, could  help  to  erect  the  castles  and  churches  of  their 
masters,  and  could  follow  him  to  battle.  This  later  ser- 
vice, together  with  a  great  part  of  the  cattleand  corn  which 


Who  were  the  soldiers  and  what  was  the  Feudal  system  ? 
What  was  every  baron's  dwelling  in  the  middle-ages,  and  what  war* 
llie  cause  of  this  state  of  society  ? 
What  was  the  cond:tion  of  vassals  under  this  system  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  73 

they  could  procure  from  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  they 
gave  to  their  lords. 

The  lords  always  kept  many  of  their  vassals  in  their 
houses  or  castles,  and  usually  went  out  with  a  considerable 
number  of  them  as  attendants.  This  was  partly  for  show, 
and  partly  for  safety.  These  followers  were  called  Re- 
tainers, and  when  they  went  abroad  with  their  master 
formed  his  Retinue.  The  more  people  a  great  lord  had 
about  his  person,  the  better  was  he  guarded,  and  the  more 
was  he  feared. 

In  the  present  happier  age  of  the  world,  when  every 
man  has  his  own  business,  and  property,  and  leisure,  and 
enjoyments,  no  great  man  has  any  right  to  the  services  of 
so  many  of  his  fellow-men  ;  nor  has  he  any  need  of  them, 
for  he  has  nothing  to  fear  from  the  violence  of  others — he 
is  protected  by  the  laws  of  his  country,  and  what  is  better, 
by  the  humanity  of  all  men,  who  have  learned,  in  some 
measure,  to  respect  one  another's  lives  and  property ;  and 
to  know,  in  order  that  all  may  be  happy,  all  must  be  safe, 
and  protected  by  each  other. 

But  a  thousand  years  ago  men  lived  very  differently 
The  lands  had  been  seized  by  the  great  lords  of  Europe, 
and  the  owners  of  property  which  lay  together  often 
claimed  the  same.  These  rude  men  would  not  wait  for 
courts  of  justice  to  inquire  into  and  settle  their  rights, 
but  they  and  their  vassals  fought  about  them.  Many  of  the 
richer  and  more  powerful  lords,  wanting  to  become  still 
more  rich  and  powerful,  and  having  no  sense  of  religion, 
of  justice,  or  mercy — none  of  the  fear  of  God  or  love  of 
man — murdered  their  neighbors,  set  fire  to  their  houses, 
carried  off  their  property,  and  seized  their  lands  :  on  these 
occasions  the  ladies  were  often  treated  ia  a  barbarous 
manner. 

A  re'markable  instance  of  this  may  be  found  in  Shak- 
cpeare's  Tragedy  of  Macbeth.     Macbeth,  a  Scottish  no- 


What  was  a  great  lord's  retinue  ? 

What  is  the  reason  why  people  in  the  presen. age  do  not  live  in  this 
manner  ? 

What  was  the  moral  character  of  the  middle  af  es? 

What  example  of  the  insecurity  of  life  and  property  does  Shakspeare 
give  T 


74  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

bleman,  invited  Duncan,  king  of  Scotland,  to  his  castle, 
and  there  murdered  him,  that  he  might  be  king  instead  oi 
Duncan.  On  the  murder  of  the  king,  his  two  sons  fled 
from  Scotland  in  fear  of  their  lives.  Macduff,  a  Scotch 
loid,  followed  Malcolm,  one  of  the  young  princes,  into 
England,  upon  which  the  usurper  Macbeth  was  so  enra- 
ged, that  he  vowed  to  revenge  himself  upon  Macduff  foi 
this  desertion. 

In  order  to  do  this,  Macbeth  resolved  upon  killing  Mac- 
duff's innocent  family,  which  he  had  left  behind,  and  he 
accordingly  gave  orders  for  this  cruel  act.  It  is  described 
nearly  thus  ; — After  the  bloody  work  was  done,  Rosse,  a 
friend  of  the  unfortunate  family,  escaped  into  England  to 
inform  Macduff  of  it.  He  found  him  talking  to  Malcolm, 
and  after  preparing  his  mind,  relates  the  event. 

"  Rosse.  Your  castle  is  surprised,  your  wife  and  babe* 
Savagely  slaughtered! 

Malcolm.  Merciful  heaven  ! 

Macduff.  My  children  too  ? 

Rosse.  Wife,  children,  servants,  all 
That  could  be  found. 

Macd.  And  I  must  be  irom  thence  ! — 
My  wife  kill'd  too  ? 

Rosss.  I  have  said. 

Mai.  Let  us  make  medicines  of  our  great  revenge, 
To  cure  this  deadly  grief. 

Macd.  He  has  no  children  ! — All  my  pretty  ones  ? 
Did  you  say  all ! 

Rosse.  All. 

Macd.  What,  all  my  pretty  chickens  and  their  dam  1 ' 
Macbeth,  Act  IV.  Scene  3. 

You  will  observe  that  Malcolm  proposes  to  make  amends 
for  this  cruel  injury  by  some  "  great  revenge,"  that  is  by 
some  act  of  equal  cruelty  to  the  murderers  of  Macduff's 
*rife  and  children.  This  was  the  way  in  which  people  at 
.hat  time  usually  endeavored  to  satisfy  themselves,  but 
they  only  continued  a  strife  which  the  descendants  of  both 
parties  felt  bound  never  to  forget  nor  forgive,  and  which 


How  was  the  violence  and  cruelty  of  Macbeth  related  to  Macduff  ? 
How  did  people  'n  that  age  regird  injuries  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY".  75 

many  long  years  after  the  first  offence  was  given,  caused 
fresh  quarrels,  murders,  and  destruction  of  property. 

In  this  state  of  violence  and  danger,  many  people  lived 
in  constant  and  great  fear,  and  were  always  prepared  to 
expect,  and  to  defend  themselves  against  an  enemy.  The 
rich  lived  in  strong  castles,  surrounded  by  walls  and  gates, 
a  watch  was  kept  to  look  out  for  the  approach  of  their 
foes,  and,  before  the  discovery  of  gun-powder,  and  the 
use  of  fire-arms,  the  knights — that  is,  the  gentlemen- 
soldiers — used  generally  to  wear  armor. 

Then,  as  at  all  times,  there  were  good  men — some  who 
were  not  weak  and  timid,  or  ferocious  and  cruel,  who 
could  not  see  the  acts  of  these  barbarians  without  indigna- 
tion against  them,  and  compassion  for  the  unfortunate 
victims  of  their  cruelty.  The  distress  of  the  ladies,  above 
all,  inspired  the  just  and  the  generous  with  a  desire  to 
serve  them,  and  to  save  them  from  the  dreadful  calamities 
Ko  which  they  were  exposed.  Many  noblemen  and  brave 
soldiers  devoted  themselves  to  the  redress  of  injuries  in- 
flicted upon  all  good  persons,  and  particularly  upon  the 
young  and  beautiful  of  the  female  sex.  These  formed 
what  is  called  the  order  of  Chivalry.     /^ 

The  young  men  who  composed  the  order  of  Chivalry 
could  not  be  admitted  into  it,  unless  they  possessed  strength 
and  courage,  and  were  distinguished  by  truth  and  honor ; 
and  this  being  known,  made  ambitious  youth  desirous  to 
be  so  distinguished,  that  they  might  be  worthy  to  assert  jus- 
tice, and  to  defend  innocence,  that  they  might  become  ob- 
jects of  admiration  and  praise,  and  form  at  once  the  pro 
lectors  and  ornaments  of  society.  To  be  all  this,  it  was 
necessary  that  they  should  not  only  be  fearless  and  power- 
ful, but  that  they  should  also  be  pleasing  and  interesting . 
that  they  should  perfectly  understand  the  use  of  arms  to 
prevail  over  their  enemies,  and  be  masters  of  every  grace- 
ful acomplishment  to  inspire  the  affection  of  their  friends. 

Many  arts  of  little  use  at  this  time  were  then  necessary, 
and  these  arts  exhibited  much  grace  and  skill.  The  man- 
agement of  fiery  horses,  the  throwing  of  the  pike,  (a  sharp 

What  were  the  domestic  circumstances  of  the  English  in  the  12tb 
century  ? 

Who  formed  the  order  of  Chivalry  ? 

What  education  was  bestowed  on  the  knights  of  the  middle  ages  7 


70  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

instrument  used  in  ancient  war,)  and  the  exercise  of  the 
bow,  were  taught  to  young  men  with  as  much  and  more 
pains  than  dancing,  fencing,  and  music  now  require. 
Horsemanship,  archery,  &c.  require  great  presence  of 
mind  and  strength  of  body,  and  show  elegance  of  person 
and  quickness  of  thought  to  the  utmost  advantage. 

For  a  long  time  Chivalry  did  much  good,  but  at  length 
it  went  out  of  use,  because  laws  were  made  and  enforced 
that  compelled  people  to  live  peacefully  together,  so  that 
the  arts  that  belonged  to  Chivalry  only  served  for  amuse- 
ment, and  Knights  or  Champions  used  to  practice  a  sort 
of  mock  fighting,  as  a  mere  trial  of  strength  and  skill,  not 
intending  to  kill  one  another,  but  to  spare  the  life  of  him 
who  should  be  proved  the  weakest ;  and  the •  most  beau- 
tiful lady  present  at  the  encounter,  used  to  give  a  prize  to 
the  victorious  knight.  These  public  spectacles  were  at 
last  given  up,  but  not  all  at  once,  for  so  late  as  the  year 
1600,  and  afterwards,  we  read  of  young  gentlemen  who 
were  taught  all  the  exercises  of  Chivalry 


No  nobleman,  let  his  rank  have  been  ever  so  great,  could 
be  considered  a  complete  soldier  till  he  was  knighted,  or 
acknowledged  to  be  a  knight — that  is,  a  member  of  the 
order  of  Chivalry.  There  were  many  different  orders  of 
knighthood,  in  each  of  which  different  ceremonies  and 
vows  were  used  :  but  the  chief  formality  was  the  kneeling 
down  before  some  elder  knight,  who,  giving  a  slight  blow 
with  his  sword  on  the  left  shoulder,  said :  "  In  the  name 
of  God  and  St.  George,  rise  up,  Sir  John !"  or  ^  Sir 
Thomas  !"  or  whatever  else  the  name  mightbe.  Amongst 
the  different  sorts  of  knights,  were  the  knights-errant. 

This  order  was  first  introduced  in  England  in  the  time 
of  king  Stephen,  by  some  young  men,  who,  abhorring  the 
tyranny  of  the  lawless  barons,  bound  themselves  by  solemn 
vows  to  devote  themselves  to  the  protection  of  the  injured 
and  helpless.    The  Knights-errant  were  quite  independent 


Why  did  Chivalry  go  out  of  ase  ? 

How  were  knights  created? 

When  did  Chivalry  commence  in  England  i 


ENGLISH   H1ST0IIY.  77 

of  one  another,  and  traveled  about  from  place  to  place  for 
the  purpose  of  redressing  grievances.  This  order  o/ 
knight-errantry  was  of  infinite  service  in  softening  the 
ferocious  manners  of  the  times.  The  spirit  of  chivalry 
seemed  to  belong  wholly  to  the  Norman  character,  no 
traces  of  it  having  been  found  amongst  the  plain  and  rustic 
Saxons. 

Females  in  that  age  had  not  the  liberty  they  enjoy  in 
our  time,  but  they  were  beloved  and  cherished  by  their 
families,  and  honored  extravagantly  by  the  knights.  The 
daughters  of  noblemen  were  commonly  educated  in  nun- 
neries till  they  married :  they  then  lived  in  their  husband's 
castles,  and  were  very  often  besieged,  and  taken  prisoners, 
according  to  the  chances  of  war.  One  of  their  occupations 
was  that  of  surgery ;  and  it  was  their  office  to  make  salves, 
and  attend  on  the  wounded  ;  but  their  principal  employ- 
ment was  embroidery  and  needle-work  ;  and  they  used 
to  sit  in  the  great  hall,  surrounded  by  their  damsels,  work- 
ing with  them,  and  setting  them  their  tasks. 

When  these  ladies  made  a  visit,  they  were  furnished 
with  a  guard  to  protect  them,  lest  they  should  be  killed  or 
carried  off.  But  they  had  no  want  of  society  at  home ;  for, 
besides  the  menials  belonging  to  the  castle,  every  lady  had 
a  number  of  damsels  attendant  on  herself,  who  were  the 
daughters  of  inferior  knights  and  barons,  or  perhaps  her 
owe.  relations.  And  every  castle  was  a  sort  of  school  for 
young  nobles,  where,  first  in  quality  of  pages,  and  as  they 
grew  older,  in  that  of  squires,  they  learned  the  arts  of  war 
and  hunting,  which  were  the  chief  requisites  for  a  gentle- 
man,      y 

What  were  the  occupations  of  ladies  in  the  middle  ages? 
Who  were  the  co-i  paniors  and  attendants  of  ladies  ? 


78 


ENGLISH   HISTORY 


C  II  A  P  T  E  R       1  X 
STEPHEN 

[Years  after  Christ,  113G— I. 154  ] 


\ 


All  the  precautions  which  Henry  had  taken  to  secure 
the  crown  to  his  daughter  were  but  vain.  An  usurpei 
sprang  up  where  he  would  least  have  expected  one,  in  his 
favorite  nephew  Stephen,  who  was  the  second  son  of  his 
sister  Adela  and  the  count  de  Blois.  To  him  Henry  had 
invariably  shown  the  utmost  kindness,  and  a  preference 
above  all  his  other  relations.  He  had  given  him  a  large 
estate  in  Normandy  ;  and  had  married  him  to  the  heiress 
of  Boulogne,  whose  mother  was  Mary  of  Scotland,  sister 
to  his  own  queen,  Matilda.  But  all  these  kindnesses  could 
not  inspire  Stephen  with  gratitude.  As  soon  as  he  heard 
i>(  the  king's  death,  he  hastened  to  England  ;  and  though 
he  met  with  a  little  opposition  at  first,  yet  he  soon  pro- 
cured himself  to  be  crowned  at  Westminster. 

Stephen's  deportment  was  popular  and  engaging,  and 
he  had  much  pleasantry  in  his  conversation.  He  was 
a  great  favorite  with  the  people  ;  and  to  this,  more  than 
to  any  other  cause,  is  attributed  the  success  of  his  attempt 
on   the  crown.     This  usurpation  had   been   so  totally 


Who  succeeded  Henry  I.  ? 

What  immediate  effect  had  Stephen's  usurpation  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  70 

unexpected,  that  no  preparations  had  been  made  to  guard 
against  it ;  and  the  empress  Maude,  as  she  is  commonly 
called,  and  her  friends  ,\vere  so  unprepared  for  the  event, 
that  they  knew  not  what  to  do.  This  gave  Stephen  time 
to  strengthen  himself,  before  any  attempts  were  made  to 
check  his  operations. 

The  first  person  who  took  up  arms  against  him  was 
David,  king  of  Scotland,  who  marched  an  army  into  Eng- 
land to  vindicate  the  rights  of  his  niece.  But  Stephen 
contrived  to  win  him  over  by  ceding  to  him  the  greater 
part  of  the  four  northern  counties  of  England,  and  giving 
to  his  son  the  earldom  of  Huntingdon.  The  wisest  and 
most  powerful  baron  then  in  England  was  the  earl  of  Glou- 
cester, a  son  of  the  late  king.  He  was  warmly  attached  to 
his  sister  ;  but  as  the  other  nobles  acknowledged  Stephen, 
he  also  was  obliged  to  submit.  For  the  next  three  years 
Maude  appears  to  have  made  no  direct  attempt;  but  to  have 
been  lying  in  wait  for  an  opportunity  to  assert  her  rights. 

A  T)  1 1  qq  Stephen  raised  great  discontents  by  his 
'    '  '  severity  to  some  of  his  barons.     This  en- 

couraged Maude  and  the  earl  of  Gloucester,  who  had  joined 
his  sister  in  Normandy,  to  come  to  England.  They  were 
received  in  an  evil  hour  into  Arundel  Castle,  by  the  dow- 
ager queen  Adelais  :  and  from  this  time,  for  several  years, 
England  was  desolated  by  one  of  the  most  calamitous  wars 
it  ever  knew.  The  barons  sided  with  the  two  contending 
parties  as  their  feelings,  or  rather  as  their  interests,  prompt- 
ed them, 

But,  instead  of  an  open  war,  it  was  a  miserable  vexatious 
kind  of  hostility,  and  displayed  all  the  worst  evils  of  the 
feudal  system.  Each  baron,  shut  up  in  his  own  castle 
with  his  own  retainers,  kept  up  a  sort  of  petty  war  with 
his  nearest  neighbor  of  the  opposite  party,  to  the  destruc- 
tion of  all  domestic  comfort  and  civil  order.  "  All  Eng- 
land," according  to  an  old  historian, "  wore  a  face  of  deso- 
lation and  misery ;  multitudes  abandoned  their  beloved 
country,  and  went  into  voluntary  exile  :  others,  forsaking 
their  own  houses,  built  wretched  huts  in  church  yards, 


Who  vindicated  Matilda's  rights  ? 

Why  did  Matilda  come  to  England  ? 

What  sort  of  war  was  carried  on  in  England  in  Stephen  s  reign  ? 


80  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

hoping  for  protection  from  the  saeredness  of  the  place 
Whole  families,  after  sustaining  life  as  long  as  they  could 
by  eating  herbs,  roots,  and  the  flesh  of  dogs  and  horses, 
at  last  died  of  hunger  ;  and  you  might  see  many  pleasant 
villages  without  a  single  inhabitant." 

A  T)  1 141  After  tn^s  contest  had  gone  on  for  some 
time,  without  any  decided  advantage  to 
either  party,  the  earl  of  Gloucester,  who  commanded  the 
empress's  army,  appeared  before  Lincoln,  where  a  fierce 
battle  took  place  on  the  2d  of  February,  1141,  Stephen 
was  taken,  and  carried  prisoner  to  Bristol  Castle./ 

Upon  this  great  victory,  Maude  was  acknowledged 
queen,  and  on  the  1st  of  June  entered  London  in  triumph. 
But  instead  of  acting  with  prudence,  or  even  with  grati- 
tude, despising  the  counsels  of  her  uncle,  the  king  of  Scot- 
land, and  of  her  brother,  the  earl  of  Gloucester,  to  whom 
she  owed  so  much,  she  treated  her  friends  ungraciously, 
and  her  enemies  insolently.  She  insulted  the  citizens  ot 
London,  instead  of  granting  any  of  their  requests  ;  and 
disgusted  all  orders  of  people  so  entirely,  that,  even  while 
she  was  making  preparations  for  her  coronation,  she 
found  herself  compelled  to  leave  London,  and  fly  to  Win- 
chester. 

Here  she  was  soon  besieged  by  Stephen's  youngest 
brother,  Henry,  bishop  of  Winchester.  With  the  utmost 
difficulty  she  escaped  on  a  swift  horse,  to  Devizes  ;  but 
the  earl  of  Gloucester,  in  endeavoring  to  follow  her,  was 
taken  prisoner,  and  carried  to  Rochester  Castle.  He, 
however,  was  soon  after  exchanged  for  Stephen.  Thus, 
by  both  being  taken  prisoners,  they  both  regained  their 
liberty. 

Stephen,  about  this  time,  was  seized  with  a  fit  of  illness5 
and  was  disabled,  for  a  time,  from  taking  advantage  of  this 
turn  of  fortune  in  his  favor.  As  soon,  however,  as  he 
regained  his  health,  he  pursued  the  empress.  She  escaped, 
borne  in  a  litter,  like  a  corpse,  to  Oxford  ;  and  took  re- 
fuge there  in  the  castle,  during  the  absence  of  the  ear  oi 


Was  Stephen  defeated  ? 

Hew  did  Matilda  conduct  herself  after  the  battle  of  Lincoln  ? 

How  did  Stephen  obtain  his  liberty  ? 

How  did  Matilda  escape  from  Stephen  ? 


ENGLL3H   HISTORY  81 

Gloucester,  who  had  gone  into  Normandy  bo  bring  prince 
Henry,  Maude's  eldest  son,  to  England. 

Stephen  continued  before  Oxford  for  three  months,  har« 
ing  sworn  not  to  raise  the  siege  till  he  had  taken  the  em- 
press prisoner.  At  last  the  garrison  was  reduced  to 
extremity  by  famine  ;  but  still  Maude  was  too  proud  to 
surrender.  The  ground,  it  being  now  the  middle  of  win- 
ter, was  covered  with  snow.  The  empress,  and  three  of 
her  trusty  knights,  attiring  themselves  wholly  in  white, 
that  they  might  be  the  less  easily  distinguished,  opened  by 
night  a  postern  door,  and  got  out  of  the  castle  ;  and  aftei 
crossing  the  frozen  river,  and  walking  six  miles,  they 
reached  Abingdon  in  safety,  where  they  procured  horses 
to  convey  them  to  Wallingford.  At  Wallingford,  Maude 
was  met  by  the  earl  of  Gloucester,  on  his  return  from  Nor- 
mandy with  prince  Henry,  a  fine  promising  boy  of  eleven 
years  of  age  ;  and  she  soon  forgot  all  her  late  fatigues  and 
alarms  in  the  joy  of  that  happy  meeting. 

The  fatal  and  ruinous  warfare  between  Maude  and  Ste- 
phen continued  for  some  years  longer,  but  in  the  year  1 1 47 
the  empress  had  a  severe  loss,  in  the  death  of  her  faithful 
friend  the  earl  of  Gloucester.  On  his  death,  feeling  her- 
self, at  length,  wearied  out  with  the  struggle,  she  resigned 
her  claims  to  her  son  Henry,  who  went  into  Normandy  to 
collect  an  army  which  might  enable  him  to  renew  the 
war.  To  that  country  Maude  also  retired,  and  spent 
there  the  remainder  of  her  life  ;  never  interfering  in  pub- 
lic affairs. 

\  T)  1 1  ^  r^ne  ^ames  of  civil  war  had  latterly  been 
subsiding,  but  they  blazed  up  again  on 
the  arrival  of  prince  Henry  from  Normandy.  The  two 
armies  met  at  Wallingford,  and  faced  each  other  for  sev  • 
eral  days  without  coming  to  an  engagement.  Some  of  the 
barons,  who  deplored  the  miseries  of  the  country  had  thus 
an  opportunity  of  proposing  an  accommodation,  to  which 
Stephen  the  more  willingly  consented  from  having  a  short 
lime  before  lost  his  eldest  son,  Eustace. 


Did  Matilda  surrender  to  Stephen  at.  Oxford  ? 
Did  Mati'da  ever  make  peace  with  Stephen? 
Was  civil  war  revived  in  Ei.gland  during  Stephen's  leigu  ? 


82  ENGLISH  IIIST0R\ 

It  was  agreed  that  Stephen  should  keep  the  crown  dur 
mg  his  life,  and  that.  Henry  should  succeed  to  it  at  his 
death.  The  news  of  tl  is  treaty  was  received  with  the 
greatest  joy  all  over  the  country,  and  the  king  and  his 
people  at  last  obtained  some  repose.  But  the  following 
year,  some  disagreements  ensuing  between  Stephen  and 
Henry,  the  war  seemed  ready  to  burst  forth  again.  Hap- 
pily for  the  country,  the  death  of  Stephen  put  an  end  to 
the  contest. 

Stephen  died  at  Dover,  on  the  25th  of  October,  1154 

THE  NORM  AN  LINE. 

Began  to        Reigned 
reign.  Years. 

10G6    ....  21  ...  .  William  the  Conqueror. 

Robert,  ^ 

1087    ....  13  ...  .  William  Rufus,  Children  t.{ 

1100    ....  35  ...  .  Henry  the  First,  J>  William  the 

Adela,  countess  of  Blois,  J  Conqueror. 

William,  bon  of  Robert,   ) 

William,  >  Children  of  Henry  the 

Empress  Matilda,  J  First. 

1135    ....  19  ...  .  Stephen,  son  of  Adela  and  the  count  de  Blois 
grandson  of  William  I. 

THE  SAXON   LINE    RESTORED. 

1154  ...  34  ...  .  Henry  the  second — son  of  the  empress  Matilda, 
and  GeofFroy  Plantagenet  ; — grandson  ci 
Henry  the  First  and  Matilda  of  Scotland, 
who  was  niece  to  Edgar  Atheling,  and  de- 
scended from  the  Saxon  kings. 


\ 


CHAPTER    X. 

HENRY  II. 
L  irear3  after  Christ,  1 1 51—1 1 89. J 

Henry  Plantagenet  was  the  eldest  son  of  GeofTry,  earl 
of  Anjou  and  the  empress  Matilda.  It  was  the  custom 
before  family  surnames  were  adopted,  to  call  each  person 


What  treaty  was  made  between  Stephen  and  prince  Henry  ? 
Who   were  the   Norman    princes,  and   how  was  the  Saxon  line  r<- 
fctoied? 
Who  succeeded  Stephen  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  83 

by  a  surname  of  his  own ;  as  Harold  Harefoot,  W  illiam 
Rufus.  Thus  Geoffry  got  the  surname  of  Plantagenet, 
from  wearing  in  his  helmet  a  sprig  of  the  plant  genista,  or 
broom  ;  and  Henry,  either  because  he  liked  the  name,  or 
from  affection  to  his  father's  memory,  retained  it,  and  by 
this  means  it  became  established  as  the  surname  of  his 
family. 

Henry  had  had  the  great  advantage  of  receiving  a  part 
of  his  education  at  Bristol  Castle,  under  the  superinten- 
dence of  the  earl  of  Gloucester,  who  was  the  most  learned 
and  virtuous  nobleman  of  his  age.  Henry  "had  posses- 
sion of  Normandy  given  to  him  when  he  was  only  sixteen 
years  old.  By  his  father's  death,  in  1151,  he  became 
possessed  of  Anjou,  Touraine,  and  Maine.  The  year  fol- 
lowing he  married  Eleanor,  heiress  of  Guienne  and  Poi- 
tou,  who  was  many  years  older  than  himself,  and  had  be- 
fore been  married  to,  and  divorced  by  the  king  of  France 
Thus  he  already  possessed  a  very  large  domain  in  France, 
when  the  death  of  Stephen  put  him  in  possession  of  Eng- 
land also. 

He  was  at  this  time  twenty-one  years  of  age  ;  of  the 
middle  size,  and  remarkably  strong  and  active.  Whilst 
under  the  earl  of  Gloucester's  care,  he  not  only  acquired 
all  the  common  military  accomplishments  of  the  times,  but 
also  that  uncommon  one,  a  taste  for  study.  He  delight- 
ed in  the  conversation  of  learned  men.  He  had  an  affec- 
tionate heart  and  an  excellent  understanding,  and  inheri- 
ted all  that  was  good  and  admirable  in  his  grandfathei 
Henry,  without  the  alloy  of  his  bad  qualities. 

The  first  act  of  Henry,  on  coming  to  the  crown,  was  to 
send  away  all  the  foreign  soldiers  that  Stephen  had  brought 
into  Englan  I ;  and  to  order  all  the  castles  that  had  been 
ouilt  during  the  civil  wars  to  be  demolished.  He  also  con- 
firmed a  charter  of  privileges  to  the  people  ;  and  to  use 
the  words  of  one  of  the  best  historians,*  "  no  king  in  so 
short  a  time,  had  done  so  much  good,  and  gained  so  much 


Who  educated  Henry  IT.  and  what  were  his  circumstances  ? 
What  was  the  character  of  Henry  II.  ? 
What  were  the  first  measures  of  Henry  II.  1 

•Henry 


84  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

Love,  since  Alfred."  In  1 155,  he  recovered  from  the  king 
of  Scotland  that  part  of  the  north  of  England  which  Ste- 
phen had  ceded. 

Henry  also  carried  his  arms  against  the  Welsh,  who  had 
been  very  troublesome  neighbors  ;  and  though  his  army 
was  once  in  some  danger  of  being  defeated,  he,  in  the 
end,  made  an  advantageous  peace  with  them,  and  compel- 
led them  to  give  up  some  places  which  they  had  taken  on 
the  English  border.  From  this  time  till  the  year,  1 1 63,  he 
was  chiefly  engaged  in  a  war  with  the  king  of  France, 
in  pursuance  of  a  claim  he  considered  himself  to  have,  in 
right  of  his  wife,  on  Toulouse,  and  some  other  territories. 

The  fertile  island  of  Ireland,  was  divided  into  five  sepa- 
rate kingdoms.  Very  little  mention  is  made  of  it  by  the 
English  historians,  till  the  year  1171,  when  Dermot,  one 
of  the  five  kings,  being  driven  from  the  kingdom  of  Lein- 
ster,  came  over  to  England  to  implore  the  assistance  oi 
Henry,  who  gave  him  some  money  from  the  royal  trea- 
sury and  permitted  him  to  enlist  in  his  cause  any  of  tho 
English  whom  he  could  prevail  on  to  join  him. 

Accordingly  the  earl  of  Pembroke,  surnamed  Strongbow, 
and  a  few  other  noblemen,  returned  with  Dermot  to  Ire- 
land, and  with  their  assistance  he  soon  recovered  his  king- 
dom. Not  contented  with  this  success,  Dermot  thought 
mat,  by  the  help  of  his  English  friends,  he  might  also  pos- 
sess himself  of  the  other  four  kingdoms.  But  Strongbow 
did  not  dare  to  engage  in  a  plan  for  the  conquest  of  the 
whole  island  without  first  soliciting  Henry's  consent. 

The  king's  answer  was  for  some  time  delayed ;  and  the 
earl,  meanwhile,  hastening  his  preparations,  collected  in 
England  an  army  of  1200  men  ;  but  when  he  was  on  the 
point  of  conveying  them  to  Ireland,  he  received  Henry's 
positive  commands  not  to  proceed.  He  was,  however, 
now  too  much  bent  on  the  enterprize  to  give  it  up  ;  so 
putting  life  and  honor  to  the  hazard,  he  set  sail. 

At  Waterford  Strongbow  was  joined  by  Dermot,  and 
there  married  his  daughter  Eva.   He  then  proceeded  to  the 


in  what  wars  did  Henry  engage  ? 

What  is  the  early  history  of  Ireland  ? 

What  were  the  achievements  of  earl  Strongbow  ? 

Did  Strongbow  follow  the  king's  orders  ? 

Hch  came  Strongbow  king  of  Ireland  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTO.IV  .         85 

attack  of  Mcath,  which  was  soon  conquered.  The  yeai 
following  Dermot  died,  the  earl  Strongbow,  m  right  of 
his  wife,  succeeded  to  his  possessions,  and  thus  became 
king  of  a  great  part  of  Ireland. 

Henry  had  been  exceedingly  displeased  with  the  earl 
for  having  disobeyed  him  ;  nor  was  he  appeased  till  Strong- 
bow  came  over  to  England,  and  resigned  to  him  all  these 
great  acquisitions.  Henry  allowed  him  to  retain  part  ol 
Leinster,  and  went  over  himself  in  1 172,  with  a  fleet  ol 
400  vessels,  to  take  possession  of  his  new  dominions.  The 
petty  princes,  overawed  by  such  a  powerful  force,  imme- 
diately submitted ;  and  Roderick,  the  supreme  king  of  the 
island,  consented  to  become  tributary  ;  and  thus  was  this 
important  conquest  effected  without  bloodshed. 

—  < 

Thomas  a  Becket,was  at  this  time  a  very  distinguished 
person,  and  his  quarrels  with  king  Henry  were  a  subject  of 
concern  and  interest  even  to  many  foreign  potentates.  Tho- 
mas a  Becket  was  the  son  of  a  citizen  of  London,  and 
was  the  first  Anglo-Saxon  who  had  arrived  at  any  kind  of 
eminence  since  the  conquest.  Becket  had  early  been 
remarked  for  his  great  abilities,  and  for  his  attachment  to 
the  cause  of  the  empress  Maude. 

When  Henry  came  to  the  throne,  he  selected  Beckel 
as  his  favorite  and  companion ;  and  at  length  made  him 
his  chancellor,  thus  placing  him  in  the  highest  dignity  m 
the  kingdom  next  to  that  of  the  archbishopric  of  Canter- 
bury. He  also  confided  to  him  the  education  of  prince 
Henry,  his  eldest  son. 

Becket  now  indulged  himself  in  every  kind  of  luxury 
and  magnificence.  He  never  moved  without  a  numerous 
train  of  servants ;  his  dress  was  splendid  in  the  extreme  ; 
he  was  profuse  in  his  gifts  ;  the  luxury  of  his  table  and  of 
his  furniture  was  greater  than  had  ever  been  seen  before ; 
and  Fitzstephen,  who  was  his  secretary,  and  wrote  the 
history  of  his  life,  states,  as  an  instance  of  his  extreme  d« 

Did  Strongbow  surrender  Ireland  U*  Henry  II.  ? 
Who  was  Thomas  a  Becket» 
What  favor  did  Henry  show  Becket 
How  did  Becket  live  ? 


86  ENGLISH  HISTOfiY. 

licacy,  "  that  in  winter  his  apartirents  were  every  day 
covered  with  clean  hay  and  straw,  and  in  summer  with 
green  rushes,  or  boughs,  that  the  gentlemen  who  paid  court 
to  him,  and  who  could  not,  by  reason  of  their  numbers,  find 
a  place  at  table,  might  not  soil  their  rine  clothes  by  sit- 
ting on  a  dirty  floor." 

Though  Becket  had  been  ordained  a  deacon,  he  consi- 
dered himself  more  a  layman  than  an  ecclesiastic,  and  em- 
ployed his  leisure  in  hunting  and  hawking,  and  similar 
diversions.  He  also  engaged  in  military  affairs,  and  con- 
ducted 700  knights,  at  his  own  charge,  to  attend  the  king 
in  his  war  in  France.  His  house  was  a  place  of  education 
for  the  sons  of  the  chief  nobility,  and  the  king  was  often 
present  at  the  entertainments  he  gave. 

As  an  instance  of  the  familiarity  wTith  which  the  king 
treated  Becket,  Fitzstephen,  an  historian  of  that  age, 
relates  the  following  story : — One  day,  while  they  were 
riding  together  in  the  streets  of  London,  they  met  a  poor 
beggar  shivering  with  cold.  The  king  made  the  observa- 
tion, that  it  would  be  a  good  deed  to  give  that  poor  man  a 
warm  coat.  The  chancellor  agreed,  and  added,  "You  do 
well,  sir,  in  thinking  of  such  a  good  action."  "  Then  he 
shall  have  one  presently,"  said  the  king,  and  seizing  on  the 
chancellor's  cloak,  which  was  of  scarlet  lined  with  ermine, 
he  tried  to  pull  it  off.  The  chancellor,  not  liking  to  part 
with  it,  held  it  fast,  and  the  king  and  he  were  near  pull- 
ing each  other  off  their  horses  in  the  scuffle.  At  last, 
Becket  letting  the  cloak  go,  the  king  gave  it  to  the  beg- 
gar, who,  was  much  astonished  at  such  a  scene,  and  such 
a  gift,  from  such  a  man. 

The  bishops  had,  at  this  time,  encroached  so  much  upon 
the  privileges  of  both  the  king  and  the  people,  that  the  king 
was  hardly  master  of  his  kingdom,  or  the  people  masters  of 
their  own  consciences.  One  great  cause  of  this  evil  was, 
that  the  clergy  were  not  amenable  to  the  common  laws  oi 
the  country, but  were  governed  bylaws  among  themselves, 
called  ecclesiastical  laws.  Henry,  feeling  the  inconve- 
nience of  this  church  tyranny,  had  long  meditated  the  put- 


Had  Becket  the  manners  of  an  ecclesiastic  ? 
What  familiarity  with  tho  king  did  Becket  enjoy  ? 
Did  Hcniy  encourage  the  tyranny  of  the  clergy  1 


ENGLISH   HISTOID.  87 

ting  a  check  to  it.  And,  on  the  death  of  the  archbishop 
of  Canterbury,  he  promoted  Becket  to  that  dignity,  be- 
lieving that  he  would  be  ready  to  forward  the  design  of 
lowering  the  pride  and  power  of  the  clergy. 

But  no  sooner  was  Becket  established  in  his  new  dig- 
nity than  he  seemed  changed  in  character,  as  well  as  in 
condition.  He  renounced  all  his  gay  and  active  amuse- 
ments, and  was  always  seen  with  a  book  in  his  hand,  01 
else  absorbed  in  deep  meditation.  He  affected  the  greatest 
austerities  ;  he  wore  sackcloth  next  his  skin,  and  never 
changed  it  till  it  was  full  of  dirt  and  vermin ;  he  ate  no- 
thing but  bread,  and  drank  water  in  which  fennel  had 
been  steeped  to  make  it  nauseous  ;  he  lacerated  himself 
with  continual  scourging  ;  and  he  every  day  washed  the 
feet  of  thirteen  poor  beggars.  In  short,  the  ostentation  of 
affected  sanctity  made  him  take  a  satisfaction  in  inflicting 
on  himself  the  severest  penances. 

His  conduct  towards  the  king  was  not  less  changed  than 
his  personal  deportment  and  way  of  living.  He  withdrew 
from  the  intimacy  with  which  Henry  had  treated  him,  and 
resigned  the  office  of  chancellor,  saying  he  must  now  de- 
vote himself  wholly  to  his  spiritual  functions.  And  so  far 
was  he  from  giving  any  aid  to  the  king's  plans  of  reform, 
that  he  set  himself  up  as  a  strenuous  supporter  of  the  usur- 
pations of  the  clergy.  In  all  this  conduct  he  was  encou- 
raged by  the  pope  ;  and  Henry  was  thus  kept  in  a  conti- 
nual ferment  for  eight  years. 

Henry  was  so  much  disappointed  and  exasperated  by  the 
conduct  of  Becket,  that  forgetful  of  all  his  former  regard 
for  him,  he  certainly  treated  him  both  unjustly,  and,  on 
some  occasions,  severely.  At  last,  in  a  moment  of  great 
irritation,  he  unhappily  exclaimed,  "  Is  there  nobody  that 
will  rid  me  of  this  turbulent  priest  V*  Henry  probably 
had  no  sooner  said  these  words,  than  he  forgot  them.  But 
they  were  not  forgotten  by  some  of  those  who  heard  them, 
and  who  thought  they  should  do  the  king  an  acceptable 
service  by  executing  what  they  imagined  to  be  his  wishes. 


Did  Becket  resist  the  encroachments  of  the  clergy  ? 

Did  Becket  aid  the  king's  purposes  I 

How  did  Henry  regard  the  priestcraft  and  disloyalty  of  Beokei  ? 


88  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Four  gentlenven  of  his  household  set  out  immediately 
with  the  utmost  speed  from  Bayeux  in  Normandy,  where 
the  king  then  was,  to  England.  When  they,  arrived  at 
Canterbury,  they  demanded  admittance  into  the  arch- 
bishop's palace.  The  servants,  apprehensive  of  some  evil 
design,  obliged  their  master  to  fly  into  the  cathedral,  think- 
ing the  sanctity  of  the  place  would  protect  him.  But  the 
assassins  followed  him  ;  and,  because  he  would  not  submit 
to  be  their  prisoner,  they  slew  him  on  the  steps  of  the  altar, 
as  he  knelt  before  it. 

When  Henry  heard  of  this  murder,  he  was  so  much 
shocked  and  concerned,  that  he  shut  himself  up  for  three 
days,  and  refused  to  let  any  body  come  near  him.  At  last 
nis  attendants  forced  open  the  door  of  his  room,  and  per 
suaded  him  to  take  some  refreshment.  The  king  after- 
wards, caused  a  magnificent  tomb  to  be  erected  for  Bec- 
ket  in  Canterbury  cathedral,  he  walked  barefoot  to  the 
shrine,  and  permitted  himself  to  be  lashed  by  scourges  as 
he  knelt  before  it ;  and  thus  considered  himself  as  fully 
absolved  from  all  guilt  he^ might  have  incurred  by  being 
accessory  to  his  death.     \ 

A  D  117?  Henry  was  sovereign  of  England,  Ireland, 
and  of  a  third  part  of  France.  All  his 
dominions  were  in  a  state  of  tranquility.  But  it  seems  as  if 
princes  were  destined  to  pay  for  their  royalty  the  high  price 
of  that  domestic  happiness  which  their  subjects  often  enjoy. 
The  Queen,  whom  he  had  married  for  the  sake  of  her  rich 
dower,  was  of  an  unamiable  and  jealous  temper,  and  not 
only  gave  him  much  vexation  by  her  own  conduct,  but 
also  encouraged  her  children  to  behave  undutifully  to  him. 

Henry,  the  eldest  of  them,  had  been  crowned  by  his 
father,  when  he  was  about  fifteen  years  old ;  it  being  not 
uncommon  at  that  time  for  the  heir  to  be  crowned  in  his 
father's  lifetime.  He  soon  became  impatient  to  reign  in 
reality,  and  entered  into  a  conspiracy  with  the  kings  of 
Fiance  and  Scotland,  and  other  princes  who  were  jealous 
of  king  Henry's  power,  to  dethrone  him. 


Who  killed  Becket  1 

How  did  Henry  receive  the  intelligence  of  Becket's  death  ? 

Whi.t  were  the  king's  domestic  circumstances  ? 

What  was  the  conduct  of  Prince  Henry  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  89 

The  king  perceived  that  his  son  was  less  dutiful  and 
lespectful  than  formerly,  and  therefore  removed  from  about 
him  some  persons  who  gave  him  bad  advice.  On  this  the 
prince,  and  his  brothers  Richard  and  Geoffry,  whom  he 
had  persuaded  to  join  him,  fled  to  the  court  of  the  king  of 
France  ;  and  even  queen  Eleanor,  in  the  disguise  of  a 
man,  tried  to  escape  there  also,  to  the  very  same  king  from 
whom  she  had  formerly  been  divorced,  on  account  of  her 
ill-conduct.  She  was,  however,  discovered,  and  brought 
back  to  Henry,  who  shut  her  up  in  strict  confinement. 

The  rebellion  which  had  been  preparing  now  broke  out. 
On  the  side  of  Normandy,  Henry  was  beset  by  the  king 
of  France  and  the  earl  of  Flanders,  while  William  king  of 
Scotland  marched  into  Cumberland,  where  he  was  joined 
by  all  the  discontented  barons  of  England,  But  in  no  part 
of  his  reign  did  Henry  act  with  more  wisdom  and  vigoi 
than  in  this  great  emergency  The  united  forces  of  so 
many  enemies  were  unable  to  do  him  any  serious  injury , 
and  in  the  following  year,  1 175,  all  their  schemes  were 
frustrated  by  the  capture  of  William  king  of  Scotland,  who 
was  taken  prisoner  at  Alnwick  Castle. 

When  the  news  of  this  event  was  brought  to  Henry,  he 
was  in  bed  ;  but  he  instantly  rose,  and  called  his  attend- 
ants about  him,  that  he  might  tell  them  the  happy  tidings. 
The  king  of  France  was  now  glad  to  make  peace.  Hen- 
ry's generosity  to  his  defeated  enemies  is  much  to  be  ad- 
mired. He  gave  liberty  without  ransom  to  above  nine 
hundred  noblemen  who  were  made  prisoners:  and  he 
gave  the  king  of  Scotland  his  liberty,  on  condition  that  ho 
and  his  successors  should  thenceforward  swear  fealty  to 
the  king  of  England.  He  pardoned  his  sons,  on  the  score 
of  their  youth  ;  and  to  keep  his  son  Henry  for  the  future 
out  of  the  way  of  bad  advisers,  he  made  him  accompany 
nim  in  a  tour  round  the  kingdom. 

But  though  Henry  behaved  to  his  son  in  the  kindest 
and  most  paternal  manner,  the  young  prince  who  seemed 


Did  the  imtner,  and  brothers  of  Henry  conspire  against  the  king? 
Who  were  the  king's  foreign  enemies,  and  did  they  prevail  against 
him  ? 

Was  Henry  a  generous  man,  and  to  whom  did  he  show  generosity  l 
Did  Henry  reform  his  undutiful  son's  heart? 


90  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

to  be  quite  de\oid  both  of  affection  and  gratitude,  grew 
weary  of  the  constraint  he  was  kept  in,  and  importuned 
his  lather,  under  different  pretences,  to  let  him  quit  Eng- 
land. This  at  .last  the  king  very  unwi'lingly  agreed  to, 
and  the  prince  returned  immediately  to  his  former  com- 
panions, and  spent  his  time  in  all  kinds  of  idle  amuse- 
ments, and  gave  the  king  continual  vexation  by  his  head- 
strong and  obstinate  conduct. 

At  last,  the  prince  having  a  quarrel  with  his  brother 
Richard,  and  the  king  seeming  to  take  Richard's  part,  the 
prince,  in  the  violence  of  his  passion,  broke  through  all 
restraints,  and  was  actually  leading  an  army  against  his 
father,  when  the  tumult  of  his  mind  threw  him  into  a  fever 
Finding  himself  dying,  he  sent  a  repentant  message  to  his 
father,  entreating  forgiveness  for  all  his  undutiful  beha- 
viour, and  beseeching  that  he  would  come  and  see  him. 

This  the  king  would  not  do,  apprehending  his  illness  to 
be  only  pretended  ;  but  he  sent  him  his  ring  in  token  of 
forgiveness.  The  prince  received  it  with  thankfulness, 
and  a  little  before  his  death  desired  to  be  laid  on  a  heap  of 
ashes  with  a  halter  about  his  neck,  to  testify  his  deep  hu- 
miliation and  contrition.  This  was  done,  and  in  this  state 
he  died.  Henry's  grief  when  he  heard  that  his  son  was 
dead,  was  very  great  indeed.  He  bitterly  reproached  him- 
self for  having  refused  to  go  to  him,  and  forgot,  in  sorrow 
for  his  death,  all  his  faults  and  misconduct. 

Prince  Henry  died  in  the  twenty-ninth  year  of  his  age, 
and  as  he  left  no  children,  his  next  brother,  Richard,  be- 
came heir  to  the  throne.  Richard  also  was  of  a  turbulent 
disposition,  and  on  many  occasions  behaved  very  ill  to  his 
father.  In  the  year  1186,  Henry's  third  son,  Geoffry, 
was  killed  in  a  tournament  at  Paris.  He  left  one  daugh- 
ter, called  the  Damsel  of  Bretagne  ;  and  soon  after  his 
ileath,  a  posthumous  son  was  born,  who  was  named  Arthur. 
\  T)  1 1  ftfi  r^^ie  news  arrlvefl m  Europe  of  the  taking 
'  of  Jerusalem  and  the  defeat  of  the  Chris* 


Did  this  unworthy  prince  ever  repent  7 
Did  pr nee  Henry  die  in  a  hardened  state  ? 

Who  became  heir  to  the  crown  of  England  on  the  death  qf  Pnncv 
ITeiiry? 
What  primes  of  Europe  engaged  in  a  nrusadr,  A.  D.  1188. 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  91 

tian  army  by  Saladin,  sultan  of  Egypt.  The  consternation 
this  news  occasioned  flew  from  country  to  country,  and 
fired  all  the  warriors  of  Europe  with  a  desire  of  driving 
the  infidels  from  the  holy  city.  Philip,  king  of  France, 
and  Richard  Plantagenet  were  among  the  first  to  take  up 
the  cross. 

Richard,  jealous  of  the  favor  which  John,  his  youngest, 
and  now  only  surviving  brother,  had  with  his  father,  want- 
ed to  take  him  with  him  to  the  Holy  Land ;  but  this  his 
father  would  not  consent  to  ;  and  Richard,  whose  fiery 
temper  could  not  brook  the  least  contradiction,  then  joined 
Philip,  who  indeed  had  probably  drawn  him  on,  in  making 
war  upon  Henry ;  instead  of  carrying  his  troops  to  Pales- 
tine. 

Henry,  being  totally  unprepared  for  such  an  attack, 
was  obliged  to  subscribe  to  a  humiliating  treaty  ;  but  what 
afflicted  him  most  of  all  was  the  conduct  of  John,  his 
favorite  son,  who  forgetting  every  tie  of  duty  and  gratitude, 
had  joined  in  the  rebellion.  This  seemed  to  weigh  down 
the  king's  heart  more  than  any  other  affliction  of  his  life; 
and  he  fell  ill  of  a  fever,  occasioned  by  anxiety  of  mind. 
Feelinghimself  dying,  he  desired  to  be  carried  to  a  church. 
He  was  laid  at  the  foot  of  the  altar,  and  there  expired,  on 
the  9th  of  July,  1189,  in  the  57th  year  of  his  age,  and 
35th  of  his  reign. 

He  married  Eleanor,  the  heiress  of  Guienne.  Their 
children  were — William,  who  died  when  a  child  ;  Henry 
who  married  Marguerite  of  France,  and  died  in  1182  : 
Richard,  surnamed  Cceur  de  Lion  :  GeofTroy  married  Con- 
stance of  Bretagne,  died  in  1186,  leaving  a  son,  I  amed 
Arthur,  and  a  daughter ;  John,  surnamed  Lackland ; 
Maud,  married  Alphonso  of  Castile  ;  Joan,  married  Wil- 
liam, king  of  Sicily. 


One  of  Henry's  institutions,  which  still  remains,  is  the 
division  of  the  kingdom  into  circuits,  in  which  justices 
appointed  by  the  king  travel  round  to  decide  causes  and 


Why  did  not  prince  John  accompany  his  brother  Richard  to  Pales- 
tine, and  what  fol'owed  the  king's  refusal  ? 

What  event  hastened  the  death  of  Henry,  and  when  did  he  die  ? 
Who  were  Henry's  children  ? 


92  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

administer  justice.  This  at  that  time  was  a  most  neces- 
sary protection  against  the  tyranny  of  the  barons,  who 
often  took  the  administration  of  the  laws  into  their  own 
hands.  It  was  during  this  reign  that  the  distinction  be- 
tween Saxons  and  Normans  began  to  wear  away,  and  that 
they  learned  to  consider  themselves  as  one  people. 

Learning  advanced  considerably  in  England  during  the 
reign  of  Henry  II.  His  grandfather,  Henry  the  First,  was 
a  great  encourager  of  learning  ;  and  in  the  reigns  of  Ste- 
phen and  Henry  II.  there  were  many  learned  men,  both 
poets  and  historians,  to  whom  we  are  much  indebted  for 
the  knowledge  of  the  events  of  their  times,  and  of  the 
times  before  them.  Of  these  the  most  eminent  are,  Wil- 
liam of  Malmsbury,  Henry  of  Huntingdon,  and  Giraldus 
Cambrensis ;  the  last  of  whom  wrote  an  account  of  a 
journey  through  Wales,  and  also  a  description  of  Ireland, 
with  the  history  of  the  conquest  of  that  island.  All  the 
writers  of  this  time  were  monks  and  priests.  Few  of  the 
laity  could  write  ;  it  was  remarkable  if  they  could  read. 

The  invention  of  paper,  the  art  of  making  which  was 
discovered  in  the  12th  century,  was  of  infinite  advantage 
to  the  progress  of  learning.  Books  could  now  be  multi- 
plied at  less  expense,  and  a  library  was  become  essential 
in  every  monastery.  Every  monastery  had  also  a  room 
called  the  writing  room,  where  the  younger  monks  were 
employed  in  transcribing  books :  for  printing  was  yet 
unknown. 

About  the  time  of  Henry  II.  many  Jews  came  over  and 
settled  in  England :  but  they  were  treated  with  great  in- 
dignity, and  to  distinguish  them  from  Christians,  were 
obliged  to  wear  a  square  yellow  cap. 

Family  surnames  were  unknown  before  the  Conquest 
and  appear  to  have  been  then  introduced  from  the  cir  ■ 
Dumstance  of  many  of  the  Normans  who  came  over  to 
England  being  called  by  the  names  of  the  places  they 
came  from   in   Normandy.     Their  children,  willing  to 


What  existing  institution  may  be  traced  to  the  wisdom  of  Henry  II.  t 

What  was  the  state  of  learning  in  England  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II  ? 

What  invention  facilitated  learning  ? 

When  were  the  Jews  first  settled  in  England  ? 

When  did  surnames  first  become  common  in  England  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  93 

preserve  the  remembrance  of  their  Norman  origin,  also 
called  themselves  by  the  same  names. 

The  present  noble  families  of  Seymour  (anciently  St. 
Maur,)  and  Sackville,and  many  others,  derive  their  names 
in  this  manner  from  places  in  Normandy.  It  was  soon 
"bund  that  family  names  were  not  only  honorable, but  also 
convenient.  Family  names  have  now  become  universal ; 
but  they  were  once  only  assumed  by  distinguished  fami- 
lies ;  and  it  was  a  long  time  before  thay  were  adopted  by 
(lie  lower  orders  of  people. 

It  was  related  in  the  preceding  chapter  that  Ireland 
was  conquered  by  the  Earl  of  Pembroke,  and  that  little 
was  known  previously  by  the  English  concerning  Ireland. 
This  much,  however,  is  generally  admitted,  that  in  the 
fifth  century,  St.  Patrick,  who  was  a  native  of  Cornwall, 
or  as  some  say  of  Wales,  was  carried  by  pirates  to  Ire- 
land, and  that  he  converted  the  inhabitants,  who  till  then 
professed  the  religion  of  the  Druids,  to  Christianity.  From 
that  time  Ireland  was  a  place  of  refuge  for  learned  men 
of  all  countries  ;  and  religion  and  science  flourished  there 
till  the  eight  century,  when  the  country  was  overrun  by 
the  Danes,  who  destroyed  most  of  the  churches  and  mon- 
asteries. 

When  the  Danes  were  expelled,  the  Irish  not  having 
an  Alfred  to  govern  them,  sank  into  great  barbarism,  and 
it  was  not  till  many  years  after  earl  Strongbow's  time  that 
they  assimilated  themselves  in  any  degree  to  the  manners 
and  habits  of  other  civilized  nations. 


Have  surnames  become  general  ? 

Wha*  Irish  tiau'ition  is  generally  believed? 

Why  i3  it  presumed  that  the  Irish  degenerated 


94 


ENGLISH   HISTORT. 


CHAPTER    XI 

RICHARD   I 
Years  after  Christ,  1189-1199.1 


Monument. 

Richard,  surnamed  Cceur  de  Lion,  from  his  undaunted 
courage,  had  received  from  nature  a  very  generous  dispo- 
Bition.  His  faults  were  those  of  a  lofty  spirit,  and  were, 
perhaps,  too  suitable  to  the  unruly  temper  of  the  time  he 
lived  in,  to  be  then  considered  reprehensible  or  dangerous 
For  his  father's  death  he  felt  extreme  sorrow  ;  and  on 
seeing  his  dead  body,  expressed  an  agony  of  remose  for 
his  own  undutiful  conduct  towards  him. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  Richard's  reign,  was  to  release 
his  mother  from  her  long  confinement.  He  bestowed  many 
kind  but  ill-judged  gifts  on  his  brother  John,  which,  instead 
of  inspiring  him  with  any  affectionate  feeling,  only  put  it 
the  more  in  his  power  to  show  his  ingratitude.  Richard 
soon  turned  his  whole  mind  to  the  crusade.  He  sold  the 
royal  castles  and  demesnes,  in  order  to  raise  money,  and 
had  recourse  to  many  unjust  and  unworthy  methods  of  ex- 
torting it  from  his  subjects.  He  also,  for  the  sum  of  ten 
thousand  marks,  absolved  the  king  of  Scotland  from  his 
oath  of  doing  homage  to  the  kings  of  England. 

A  D  11 90  ^  ^en&tn  tne  armament  was  ready  ;  and 
Richard,  accompanied  by  a  number  of  the 


What  sort  of  man  was  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion  ? 

What  were  the  first  acts  of  Richard's  reign  ? 

When  did  Richard  go  to  Palestine,  and  with  whom  did  he  go  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  95 

English  baions,  all  as  eager  in  the  cause  as  himself,  ar- 
rived at  Messina  on  the  14th  of  September,  1180.  Here 
he  was  joined  by  Philip,  king  of  France  ;  and  the  season 
being  too  far  advanced  for  them  to  proceed  immediately  to 
Palestine,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  pass  the  winter 
in  Sicily.  There  could  not  be  a  greater  difference  of  cha- 
racter than  that  which  existed  between  these  two  kings. — 
Richard,  though  proud  and  domineering,  was  brave  and 
generous.  Philip  was  equally  proud,  but  was  sly  and  de- 
ceitful. 

It  will  not  appear  surprising  that  two  such  opposite  cha- 
racters should  quarrel  before  their  six  months' residence  ic 
Sicily  was  over;  and  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  first 
aggression  came  from  Richard.  He  had  long  been  con- 
tracted to  Adelais,  sister  of  the  French  king  ;  but  Henry, 
his  father,  had  repented  of  the  engagement,  and  Avould  not 
permit  it  to  be  fulfilled  while  he  lived:  and  now  Richard, 
having  become  enamored  of  Berengaria,  daughter  of  the 
king  of  Navarre,  broke  off  his  engagement  to  Adelais. 
.  p.  -.q.  King  Richard  prevailed  with  his  mo- 
'     *  *  ther,  queen  Eleanor,  to  bring  the  princess 

Berengaria  to  Messina.  They  arrived  the  day  before  he 
was  obliged  to  sail ;  but,  itbeing  Lent,  the  marriage,  accord- 
ing to  a  regulation  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  could 
not  then  take  place.  Eleanor  returnedto  England,  and  the 
princess,  accompaniedby  the queenof  Sicily,  Richard's  sis- 
ter, embarked  for  the  Holy  Land.  During  the  voyage  the 
ship  the  two  princesses  were  in  was  in  great  danger  from 
a  violent  storm  ;  and  the  king  of  Cyprus  refusing  to  admit 
the  ship  into  his  harbors,  Richard  laid  siege  to  that  island, 
and  in  a  short  time  obtained  entire  possession  of  it.  Here 
he  and  Berengaria  were  married  ;  and  after  leaving  a  go- 
vernor in  the  island  he  sailed  for  Acre,  where  the  king  of 
France,  who  had  some  time  before  left  Sicily  in  great,  dis- 
pleasure with  Richard,  was  already  arrived. 

Acre  was  a  town  on  the  coast  of  Palestine,  in  pos- 
session of  the  Saracens,  and  had  been  besieged  for  the 
hast  two  years  by  an  army  of  Christians  collected  from  all 


What  caws*:  of  offence  was  given  by  Richard  to  Philip  of  France  ? 

Where,  and  to  whom  was  Richard  I.  married? 

Where  was  Acre,  and  when  did  that  town  surrender  to  Richard  ? 


90  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

parts  of  Europe.  The  Christians  were  now  in  their  turn 
surrounded  and  besieged  by  a  large  army  of  infidels,  under 
the  famous  Saladin.  The  arrival  of  Richard,  whose  valor 
was  well  known,  revived  the  courage  of  the  Christians ; 
and  the  town,  being  attacked  night  and  day,  was  obliged 
to  surrender  on  the  12th  of  July. 

Soon  after  the  capture  of  Acre,  the  king  of  France  return- 
ed home,  pretending  that  the  climate  disagreed  with  him  ; 
but  in  reality  because  he  was  jealous  of  Richard,  and  had 
not  forgot  his  quarrel  with  him  at  Messina.  Before  he  went 
lie  solemnly  engaged  not  to  make  any  attempt  on  the  terri- 
tories of  Richard,  though  at  this  very  time  he  entertained 
the  full  intention  of  attacking  them  as  soon  as  he  got  back. 
He  also  gave  secret  orders  to  the  duke  of  Burgundy,  the 
commander  of  the  troops  he  left  behind,  to  omit  no  oppor- 
tunity of  thwarting  and  mortifying  the  English  king. 

In  the  meantime,  Richard,  unsuspicious  of  these  designs, 
thought  only  of  his  open  and  declared  enemies.  He  dis- 
played extraordinary  bravery  and  skill ;  and  in  a  battle 
near  Joppa,  which  lasted  from  morning  till  night,  gained 
a  great  victory  over  Saladin.  The  victorious  Christians 
then  entered  Joppa,  or  rather  the  ruins,  which  were  all  that 
was  left  of  the  town,  which  had  been  wholly  dismantled  by 
the  Turks. 

Richard's  intention  was  immediately  to  have  pursued 
Saladin,  who  had  re-assembled  his  scattered  forces  at  As- 
calon  ;  and  had  he  done  so,  his  success  would  in  all  prob- 
ability have  been  complete  :  but  the  duke  of  Burgundy, 
agreeably  to  the  instructions  he  had  received,  insisted  on 
staying  to  rebuild  the  walls  of  Joppa.  Richard  was  unwill- 
ingly obliged  to  submit,  and  a  delay  of  seven  weeks  was 
caused  by  that  useless  work. 

When  they  at  last  set  forth  again,  the  rains  and  natural 
impediments,  to  which  were  added  those  that  the  duke  of 
Burgundy  still  threw  in  the  way,  prevented  their  getting 
to  Jerusalem  till  the  end  of  the  year  1191:  and,when  at  last 
they  had  arrived  in  sight  of  it,  the  French  troops,  and  some 


Did  Philip  of  France  act  with  generosity  towards  Richard  ? 
What  victory  over  Saladin  was  achieved  by  Richard  ? 
Who  retarded  Richard's  designs  in  Palestine  ? 
What  compelled  Richard  to  retire  from  Jerusalem? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY. 


97 


others,  refused  to  advance  to  the  siege;  and  Richard,  to 
his  bitter  mortification,  was  obliged  to  retreat  to  Ascalon 

This  march  is  described  as  the  most  painful  of  all  that 
the  army  made  ;  and  when,  at  last,  worn  out  by  fatigue  and 
famine,  it  arrived  at  Ascalon,  the  place  was  found  such  an 
entire  ruin,  that  it  became  necessary  to  set  to  work  imme- 
diately to  repair  it.  Richard  set  the  example  by  working 
with  more  ardor  than  any  common  laborer.  Soon  after, 
the  duke  of  Burgundy,  and  all  whom  he  could  entice  to 
tollow  him,  separated  from  the  army,  and  went  to  Tyre. 

In  the  meantime  the  affairs  of  England  had  gone  on 
very  ill.  Prince  John,  and  the  bishop  of  Ely,  to  whom 
the  chief  authority  had  been  given,  soon  disagreed,  and 
the  whole  kingdom  was  in  a  state  of  disturbance.  At  last 
the  bishop  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  country ;  and  del- 
egates were  appointed,  who  acted  more  prudently.  When 
the  king  of  France  got  home,  he  lost  no  time  in  inviting 
John  to  unite  with  him  in  seizing  on  Richard's  territories. 

A  D  1 1  qo  John  was  only  prevented  from  doing  so  by 
.'  queen  Eleanor,  who  appears  to  have  act- 
ed like  a  wise  and  good  woman  at  this  juncture.  Philip 
then  would  have  invaded  Normandy  with  his  own  for- 
ces ;  but  he  was  obliged  to  give  up  this  design,  all  his 
barons  refusing  to  accompany  him  in  so  unjust  and  un- 
generous an  attempt.  The  news  of  these  transactions 
reached  Ascalon  about  the  middle  of  April,  and  Richard 
then  resolved  to  return  to  Europe. 

But  while  Richard  was  preparing  for  his  return,  he 
heard  that  Saladin  was  besieging  Joppa,  and  that  the 
Christians  there  were  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  Giv- 
ing up,  therefore,  his  design  of  immediately  embarking, 
he  went  directly  to  Joppa,  and  defeated  the  Pagans  in  a 
furious  battle,  in  which  he  performed  prodigies  of  valor. 
Soon  after  this  he  fell  ill,  and,  being  unable  to  pursue  his 
advantages,  concluded  atruce  with  Saladin  for  three  years, 
three  months,  three  weeks,  three  days,  and  three  hours. 

Amongst  the  many  causes  that  had  from  the  first  impeded 


How  did  Richard  conduct  himself  at  Ascalon  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  England  during  he  absence  of   Rich- 
ard? 

What  determined  Richard  to  return  to  Eirope? 
What,  ('ircumstance  detained  Richard  in  Asia  ? 


98  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

the  progress  of  the  Christian  army  in  the  East  was  the  di- 
vision that  arose  in  it  from  the  rival  interests  of  Conrad, 
marquis  of  Montferrat,  and  Guy  of  Lusignan,  who  each 
contended  for  the  empty  title  of  king  of  Jerusalem ;  while 
the  substantial  part,  the  kingdom  itself,  was  in  the  posses- 
sion of  the  Turks.  The  kings  df  France  and  England  had 
taken  opposite  sides  in  this  contest,  Philip  taking  the  part 
of  Conrad,  and  Richard  that  of  Lusignan.  Richard,  be- 
fore he  quitted  Palestine,  was  called  on  by  the  whole 
army,  to  decide  this  question. 

Richard  decided  in  favor  of  Conrad;  but,  to  compensate 
the  disappointment  to  Lusignan,  bestowed  on  him  the  king- 
dom of  Cyprus,  afar  more  substantial  gift  than  that  which 
his  rival  obtained ;  for  Cyprus  remained  in  the  family  of 
Lusignan  during  a  period  of  three  hundred  years.  In  the 
year  1 47 1 ,  Cyprus  was  annexed  to  the  Venetian  dominions, 
and  long  remained  the  only  territory  that  was  gained  to 
Christendom  by  all  the  devastation  and  bloodshed  of  the 
crusades.     It  is  now  again  subject  to  the  Turks.     • 

On  the  9th  of  October,  the  two  queens  having  sailed  for 
England  previously,  Richard  commenced  his  disastrous 
voyage.  After  many  storms  at  sea,  he  was  shipwrecked 
near  Aquileia.  He  then  attempted  to  pass  though  Ger- 
many in  the  disguise  of  a  pilgrim.  Unfortunately  he  had 
made  the  duke  of  Austria  his  bitter  enemy  by  some  per- 
sonal affront  at  the  siege  of  Acre  ;  and  having  betrayed 
himself  by  a  profuseness  more  suitable  to  the  king  he  was, 
than  to  the  pilgrim  he  wished  to  appear,  he  was  discov- 
ered and  made  prisoner  by  his  unforgiving  enemy,  whe, 
afterwards,  on  condition  of  receiving  a  share  of  the  ran- 
som, gave  him  up  to  the  emperor  of  Germany. 

The  news  of  his  imprisonment  caused  the  greatest  sor- 
row to  all  his  subjects,  who  had  been  anxiously  watching 
for  the  return  of  their  brave  king.  John  alone  rejoiced  at 
his  misfortune  •  and  by  spreading  a  report  of  his  death, 
endeavored  tc  obtain  the  crown  for  himself.  The  king 
of  France  also  made  an  attack  on  Normandy ;  but  the 
barons  remained  faithful  to  Richard,  and  successfully  de 
fended  their  country. 

On  whom  did  Richard  bestow  the  island  of  Cyprus  ? 
What  happened  to  Richard  in  his  voyage  to  England  * 
Did  Richard's  subjects  adhere  to  him  faithfully  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  99 

Richard,  meanwhile,  was  treated  by  the  emperor  with 
every  possible  indignity,  was  confined  in  a  dungeon,  and 
Loaded  with  chains.  His  cheerfulness  and  gay  humor  did 
not,  even  under  these  circumstances,  forsake  him,  and  aftej 
a  time  he  was  taken  to  the  town  of  Worms,  where  a  meet- 
ing of  the  princes  of  Germany,  called  a  Diet  of  the  empire 
was  to  be  held. 

When  Richard  arrived  at  Worms,  the  emperor,  by  way 
of  justifying  his  own  ungenerous  behavior,  accused  him 
before  the  diet  of  having  driven  away  the  king  of  France 
from  Palestine,  of  having  affronted  the  duke  of  Austria,  and 
of  having  made  peace  on  too  easy  terms  with  Saladin,  and 
added  many  other  equally  unfounded  charges.  But  Richard 
defended  himself  so  eloquently  and  pathetically,  that  many 
persons  shed  tears  on  hearing  him,  and  all  were  convinced 
of  the  malice  of  his  accusers.  After  this,  the  emperor 
agreed  to  set  him  at  liberty  on  the  payment  of  1 00,000 
marks  of  silver,  and  on  his  giving  hostages  for  the  future 
payment  of  50,000  marks  more. 

When  this  treaty  was  made  known  in  France,  it  threw 
Philip  into  the  greatest  consternation,  and  he  sent  a  mes- 
sage to  prince  John,  bidding  him"  take  care  of  himself." 
Philip  and  John  then  tried  to  bribe  the  emperor  to  keep 
Richard  a  year  longer  in  prison.  The  emperor,  who  was 
exceedingly  avaricious,  longed  to  accept  their  offer;  but  he 
dared  not  do  so,  for  the  pope,  Celestine  the  Third,  con- 
sidering Richard  as  the  champion  of  Christendom,  threat- 
ened the  emperor  with  excommunication,  if  he  refused  to 
fulfil  his  engagement. 

Queen  Eleanor,  and  all  Richard's  friends  in  England, 
used  every  means  to  raise  the  sum  required  for  his  ransom 
A  general  tax  was  levied  to  procure  it ;  but,  this  not  being 
found  sufficient,  the  nobles  voluntarily  contributed  a  quar- 
ter of  their  yearly  incomes,  and  the  silver  that  was  in  the 
churches  and  monasteries  was  melted  down.  WThen  the 
nnney  was  collected,  queen  Eleanor  took  it  herself  to  Ger- 


How  did  Richard  support  adversity  ? 

How  did  the  emperor  of  Germany  justify  his  treatmmt  to  Richard  ? 
"Who  persuaded  the  emperor  to  detain   Richard  a  pris  >ner,  and  who 
prevented  him  ? 

Who  procured  Richanl's  ransom  ? 


100  ENGLISH  HISTOUY. 

many,  and  had  the  happiness  of  receiving  her  son,  arid 
bringing  him  to  England. 

A  D  1194  Richard  landed  at  Sandwich  on  the  20th 
day  of  March,  after  an  absence  of  fom 
years,  fifteen  months  of  which  he  had  been  a  prisoner.  He 
was  received  with  overflowings  of  joy  ;  and  in  London  with 
such  a  display  of  wealth,  that  the  Germans  who  had  ac- 
companied him  exclaimed,  "  If  our  emperor  had  known 
the  riches  of  England,  your  ransom,  0  king,  would  have 
been  much  greater." 

After  Richard  had  settled  some  affairs  in  England,  and 
been  a  second  time  crowned,  that  he  might  wipe  off  the 
stain  of  his  captivity,  he  embarked  for  France  to  defend 
Normandy  against  an  attack  which  Philip  was  preparing 
to  make.  The  morning  after  his  landing  at  Harfleur, 
prince  John  suddenly  rushed  into  his  apartment,  and, 
throwing  himself  at  his  feet,  implored  his  forgiveness, 
which  the  king  immediately  granted,  though  he  could  not 
feel  any  cordial  affection  for  such  a  brother.  Indeed,  he 
soon  after  said  to  some  of  his  attendants  :  "  I  wish  I  may 
forget  my  brother  John's  injuries,  as  soon  as  he  will  forget 
my  pardon  of  them." 

The  four  following  years  were  passed  uy  Richard  in  a 
succession  of  wars  and  truces  with  the  king  of  France. 
At  last,  by  the  meditation  of  the  pope,  a  truce  for  five  years 
was  agreed  upon,  to  enable  the  kings  to  undertake  another 
crusade.  But  the  death  of  Richard  prevented.  It  had 
been  rumored  that  a  considerable  treasure  had  been  found 
on  the  lands  of  the  viscount  of  Limoges.  Richard  claim- 
ed this,  as  of  his  right  as  sovereign ;  and,  on  the  viscount's 
refusing  to  give  up  more  than  a  part,  declared  positively 
that  he  would  have  the  whole,  and  immediately  laid  siege 
to  the  castle  of  Chalus,  where  the  treasure  was  supposed 
to  be  lodged. 

A    D      1 QQ      ^ie  garrison  offered  to  surrender  the 

castle,  and  all  that  was  in  it,  provided  they 

might  march  out  with  their  arms.     Richard  vindictively 

refused  their  offer,  protesting  he  would  take  their  castle  by 


How  was  Richard  received  in  England  ? 

How  did  Richa.d  and  Prince  John  meet  ? 

What  transaction  was  Richard  engagea  in  during  four  yeara  ? 

When  and  where  was  Richard  fatally  wounded  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  101 

force,  and  put  them  all  to  death.  On  the  28th  of  March,, 
1 199,  as  he  was  taking  a  survey  of  the  castle,  and  giving 
directions  for  the  assault,  he  was  wounded  by  an  arrow 
from  the  cross  bow  of  Bertrame  de  Gourdon.  The  wound 
appeared  trifling  at  first,  but  it  soon  turned  to  a  gangrene, 
and  in  a  few  days  his  life  was  despaired  of. 

Before  Richard  died,  the  castle  was  taken,  and  all  tho 
garrison  were  instantly  hanged,  excepting  Betrame,  whom 
.he  king  ordered  to  be  brought  into  his  presence.  "What 
Harm  have  I  done  to  you  ?"  said  he  to  him,  "  that  you 
should  thus  have  attempted  my  death?"  "You  killed  my 
father  and  brother  with  your  own  hands,"  replied  the  man  • 
"  and  intended  to  have  killed  me,  and  lam  ready  to  suffer 
any  torments  you  can  invent  with  joy,  since  I  have  been 
so  happy  as  to  kill  one  who  has  brought  so  many  miser 
ies  on  mankind." 

Richard,  conscious  of  the  truth  of  this  bold  reply,  bore 
it  with  patience,  and  ordered  the  man  to  be  set  at  liberty  : 
but  this  command  was  not  obeyed,  and  Bertrame  was  put 
to  death  as  soon  as  the  king  had  expired. 

A  D  11 0Q  Ricnar(l  died  on  the  6th  of  April,  1 1 99, 
'  in  the  forty-second  year  of  his  age,  and 
tenth  of  his  reign.  He  left  all  his  dominions  to  his  brother 
John.  He  had  at  one  time  appointed  Arthur  of  Brittany 
his  heir  ;  but  on  his  death-bed  he  altered  his  will.  When 
he  was  dying,  he  remembered  with  bitter  anguish  his  un- 
dutiful  conduct  to  his  father,  and  desired  to  be  buried 
near  him.     He  had  no  children. 

During  this  reign  (only  four  months  of  which  the  king 
passed  in  England)  the  disorders  of  that  country  arrived 
at  a  pitch  that  had  been  before  unknown.  No  man's  life  or 
property  was  secure  ;  and  there  was  at  one  time  a  regu- 
lar band  of  robbers,  which,  till  their  leader,  William  Fitz- 
osbert,  was  taken  and  hanged,  threatened  London  itsel! 
with  destruction. 


How  was  Richard  reproved  on  his  death-bed  1 
Were  Richard's  last  commands  obeyed  ? 
Who  was  Richard's  successor  ? 
What  was  the  condition  of  England  in  this  reign  ? 


102  ENuLISH  HISTORY. 

CHAPTER  XI  t. 

JOHN 
[Years  after  Christ,  1199— 1216. J 

John  came  tc  the  crown  of  England  without  baring  one 
heart  in  his  favor.  His  perfidiousness,  cruelty,  and  rapa- 
city were  already  well  known;  and  he  had  neither  personal 
bravery,  nor  mental  ability,  to  make  up  for  his  faults.  He 
had  early  shown  his  incapacity  for  government.  For  his 
father,  Henry  the  Second,  intending  that  Ireland  should  be 
his  inheritance,  sent  him  there,  to  accustom  the  people  to 
him.  But  he  insulted  the  Irish  chiefs,  ridiculed  their  cus- 
toms and  habits,  and  behaved  with  so  much  folly  and 
levity,  that  his  father  thought  fit  to  alter  his  purpose. 

At  the  time  of  king  Richard's  death,  Arthur  of  Bretagne 
was  of  an  age  and  temper  to  feel  the  disappointment  of 
being  excluded  from  his  inheritance.  His  mother  was  a 
woman  of  violent  temper ;  and  by  her  advice  he  placed 
his  cause  in  the  hands  of  the  king  of  France,  who  was  glad 
enough  to  have  an  opportunity  of  interfering  with  the  af- 
fairs of  England.  John,  however,  found  means  to  per- 
suade Philip  that  it  would  be  more  to  his  advantage  to 
abandon  Arthur  ;  and  the  two  kings  entered  into  a  treaty, 
in  which  it  was  settled  that  Philip's  son  Louis  should 
marry  Blanche  of  Castile,  John's  niece  ;  and  that  Arthur 
should  be  given  up  to  John,  who  would  have  immediately 
put  him  to  death,  had  he  not  found  means  to  escape. 

A  D  1 202  Three  years  afterwards,  Arthur  married 
a  daughter  of  Philip,  who  then  undertook 
his  cause,  and  assisted  him  to  besiege  the  castle  of  Mirabel, 
in  Poitou,  where  his  grandmother ,queen  Eleanor,  who  had 
always  been  his  enemy,  lived.  He  had  nearly  got  posses- 
sion of  the  castle,  when  John,  acting  with  a  vigor  quite 
unusual  to  him,  came  suddenly  to  his  mother's  rescue,  and 
took  the  unfortunate  Arthur  prisoner,  with  his  sister  the 


Was  John  prepared  to  be  a  good  king  ? 

What  was  John's  treatment  of  his  nephew,  prince  Authur '/ 

What  misfortune  overtook  Arthur  ' 


ENGLISH   HISTOR\.  103 

damsel  of  Bretagne,  who  was  carried  to  England,  and  kept 
in  perpetual  imprisonment  in  Bristol  castle.  Arthur  was 
taken  to  the  castle  of  Falaise,  where  the  king  gave  orders 
to  Hubert  de  Burgh,  the  governor,  to  put  him  to  death. 

Hubert,  desirous  to  save  the  unhappy  young  prince, 
placed  him  in  concealment ;  and,  pretending  that  he  was 
dead,  had  the  funeral  service  publicly  performed  for  him. 
But  the  Bretons  were  so  much  exasperated  at  the  supposed 
murder  of  their  prince,  that  Hubert  found  it  necessary  to 
inform  them  of  his  being  alive.  But  no  sooner  did  John 
hear  of  it,  than  he  had  Arthur  removed  to  Rouen,  where 
ne  himself  resided  ;  and  it  is  generally  believed  that  he 
murdered  his  unfortunate  nephew  with  his  own  hands 

This  barbarity  filled  every  mind  with  horror,  and  Jc  hn 
became  an  object  of  universal  detestation.  And,  partly 
because  his  barons  refused  him  assistance,  and  partly  from 
his  own  sloth  and  cowardice,  he  made  but  little  opposition 
to  the  wily  Philip,  who  drove  him  step  by  step  out  of  Nor- 
mandy, and  severed  that  province  from  the  crown  of  Eng- 
land, after  it  had  been  for  three  hundred  years  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  descendants  of  the  Norman  Rollo.  His 
mother's  inheritance  also,  and  nearly  all  the  rest  of  John's 
territories  in  France,  yielded  themselves  up  to  Philip. 

A  T)  190ft  J°nn  na^  a  quarrel  with  the  Pope,  Inno- 
cent III.,  about  the  choice  of  an  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury.  Innocent  insisted  on  the  election  of 
Stephen  Langton,  an  Englishman,  whose  superior  abilities 
had  raised  him  to  the  dignity  of  cardinal ;  and  John  refus- 
ing to  confirm  his  choice,  the  pope  laid  the  kingdom  under 
an  interdict.     This,  however,  John  did  not  much  regard. 

John  occupied  himself  during  the  next  two  years  in  ex- 
peditions against  the  Irish  and  Welsh,  and  in  extorting 
money  from  his  own  subjects,  and  from  the  Jews  espe- 
cially, by  many  unjust  and  cruel  methods.  One  of  his 
contrivances  was  to  assemble  all  the  abbots  and  abbesses 
of  the  religious  houses  in  London  ;  and  when  he  had  col- 


What  was  the  death  of  Arthur? 

Who  separated  Normandy  from  the  dominions  of  the  king  of  Eng 
land  t .  ■  • 

What  quarrel  between  king  John  and  the  pope  broke  out  A.  D 
1208  ? 

How  did  Johr  treat  the  Jews  and  the  religious  houses? 


104  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

\ected  them  together,  he  kept  them  prisoners  till  the)  had 
paid  him  a  large  sum  of  money. 

The  pope,  finding  that  his  interdict  was  of  no  avail,  now 
resolved  on  a  more  effectual  way  of  bringing  John  to  obe- 
dience. He  excommunicated  him,  absolved  his  subjects 
from  their  oath  of  allegiance,  and  published  a  sort  of  cru- 
sade against  him,  exhorting  all  Christian  princes  and 
barons  to  unite  in  jnaking  war  upon  and  dethroning  him. 
To  the  king  of  France  the  pope  applied  particularly  ;  and 
Philip,  who  was  not  slow  in  availing  himself  of  the  oppor- 
tunity thus  offered,  assembled  a  numerous  fleet  and  army 
at  Boulogne  for  the  invasion  of  England. 

The  dread  of  being  conquered  by  the  French  overpow 
eredthe  dislike  the  English  had  to  John.  They  flocked  to 
him  in  great  numbers  on  this  emergency  and  a  large  army 
was  soon  collected  at  Dover.  While  affairs  were  in  this 
state,  the  pope,  who  only  wished  to  humble  John,  and  not 
to  increase  the  power  of  Philip,  sent  his  legate  Pandull 
to  England,  and  promised  John  that  if  he  would  receive 
Langton  as  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  he  would  recal  the 
sentence  of  excommunication. 

When  John  had  agreed  to  this,  the  legate  required  him 
to  resign  his  crown  to  the  pope,  and  promised  that  the  pope 
would  restore  it  to  him  again,  on  condition  of  receiving  a 
yearly  tribute;  and  would  forbid  Philip  to  invade  the  realm 
of  England.  John  agreed  to  these  ignominious  terms  ; 
and  it  is  said  that  when  he  took  his  crown,  and  laid  it  at 
the  feet  of  the  legate,  the  pope's  representative,  that 
haughty  cardinal  spurned  it  with  his  foot,  and  that  it  was 
some  time  before  he  consented  to  replace  it  on  the  king's 
head. 

Philip,  when  he  heard  of  these  arrangements,  and  was 
ordered  by  Pandulf  to  withdraw  his  forces  from  the  coast, 
was  enraged  beyond  measure.  But,  as  he  did  not  dare  to 
make  the  pope  his  enemy,  he  found  himself  obliged  to  sub 
init.      Unwilling,  however,  that   his  great  j  reparations 


Did  the  Pope  persevere  in  nis  Hostility  to  John,  and  whu  aided. bun 

Did  the  Pope  offer  conditions  of  reconciliation  to  John  ? 

Did  John  disgracefully  submit  „o  these  terms  ? 

What  caused  a  battle  between  the  French  aid  English? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  105 

should  be  thrown  away,  he  determined  to  attack  the  terri 
tories  of  Ferrand,  earl  of  Fknders. 

In  this  extremity  Ferrand  applied  to  John,  who  sent  to 
his  assistance  the  fleet  that  had  been  collected  for  the  de- 
fence of  England.  A  battle  ensued  between  the  English 
and  French  fleets,  and  the  English  were  completely  victo- 
rious. Philip,  on  the  loss  of  his  fleet,  returned  home  with 
his  army  in  disorder. 

John  was  so  much  elated  by  this  victory,  that  he  wanted 
to  follow  it  up  by  the  invasion  of  France  ;  but  his  barons 
refused  to  accompany  him.  He  therefore  entered  into  an 
alliance  with  Otho,  emperor  of  Germany,  and  some  other 
princes,  who  engaged  to  enter  France  on  one  side,  while 
John,  with  some  foreign  troops  that  he  had  collected,  at- 
tacked it  on  the  other.  Otho  accordingly  entered  the 
Netherlands  ;  and  John  landed  an  army  at  Poitou,  and 
penetrated  into  Anjou  and  Bretagne. 

The  army  of  the  emperor  being  completely  defeated  at 
Bouvines,  John  made  a  five  years  truce  with  Philip,  ano 
hastily  returned  to  England.  There  a  most  unwelcome 
reception  awaited  him.  His  barons,  tired  out  by  his  weak- 
ness and  wickedness,  had  been  long  conspiring  togethei 
against  him.  They  were  now  joined  by  Stephen  Langton, 
the  new  archbishop,  who,  having  discovered  a  concealed 
copy  of  the  charter  granted  by  Henry  I.,  drew  up  from  it 
a  bill  of  rights  and  privileges,  which  the  barons,  in  full 
assembly,  approved  of. 

\  d  ioifi  This  the  king,  on  his  return  from  France, 
was  called  on  to  sign  :  but  he  refused  to 
do  so.  At  last,  finding  himself  abandoned  by  every  body, 
and  in  a  most  desolate  condition,  he  sent  the  earl  of  Pern 
broke,  a  nobleman  distinguished  for  virtue  and  ability,  to 
propose  a  conference  wLh  the  barons.  A  meeting  accord- 
ingly took  place  on  Friday,  the  15th  of  June,  1215,  in  a 
large  meadow,  between  Windsor  and  Staines,  called  Runi- 
mede,  which  means  the  meadow  of  council,  and  which  was 
no  called  because  it  had  been  used  by  the  Saxons  as  a 


Pid  John  continue  the  wai   with  France,  and  how  did  the  war  ter- 
minate ? 

Who  opposed  the  arb'trary  measures  of  king  John  ? 

What  measure  was  proposed  by  the  English  barons  to  Uing  John  ? 

When  and  where  was  the  great  charter  signed  ? 


106  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

place  for  public  meetings.     At  this  meeting   was  signed 
the  famous  Ma^na  Charta. 


Under  the  feudal  system,  the  power  of  the  kings  was 
very  oppressive,  and  had  become  more  and  more  so,  till  no 
subject  could  act  in  the  commonest  affairs  of  life  without 
the  king's  consent,  which  could  be  obtained  only  for  money. 
No  person  among  the  higher  classes  could  marry  with- 
out the  king's  consent ;  and  he  could  oblige  heiresses  to 
marry  whom  he  liked.  Widows  often  paid  fines,  to  sa  jo 
themselves  from  being  compelled  to  marry  again.  We 
read  of  a  countess  of  Chester,  who  paid  king  Stephen 
five  hundred  marks,  that  she  might  not  be  obliged  to  mar- 
ry again  for  five  years  ;  and  of  a  countess  of  Warwick, 
who  paid  king  John  five  hundred  marks  that  she  might 
not  be  obliged  to  many  till  she  pleased. 

The  Magna  Charta  was  a  writing  declaring  the  people 
of  England  exempted  from  certain  oppressions,  and  entitled 
to  certain  privileges  ;  and  it  contained  sixty-three  different 
clauses  :  only  the  most  vexatious  tyranny  which  kings 
could  exercise  over  the  people,  could  make  such  clauses 
necessary.  These,  for  instance  :  that  the  goods  of  every 
free  man  shall  be  disposed  of,  after  his  death,  according  to 
his  will :  that  if  he  die  without  making  a  will,  his  children 
shall  succeed  to  his  property :  that  no  officer  of  the  crown 
shall  take  horses,  carts,  or  wood,  without  the  consent  of 
the  owner:  that  no  free  man  shall  be  imprisoned,  outlawed, 
or  banished,  unless  by  the  judgment  of  his  peers,  or  the 
law  of  the  land :  that  even  a  rustic  shall  not,  by  any  fine, 
be  deprived  of  his  carts,  ploughs,  and  implements  of  hus- 
bandry. This  last  was  the  only  article  in  that  great  char- 
ter for -the  protection  of  the  laboring  people. 

Laws  there  were  before  this  time,  but  they  were  very  ill 
kept.  Till  men  are  civilized,  the  will  of  the  strongest  is 
the  law,  to  which  the  weakest  must  submit.     While  the 


Did  the  first  kings  of  England  interfere  in  the  private  concerns  of 
their  subjects  ? 

Did  the  Magna  Charta  improve  the  condition  of  the  English  people  ? 

Were  aws  of  much  efficacy  previously  to  the  grant  of  Magna 
Charta  » 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  10T 

Romans  were  in  Britain,  the  island  was  governed  by  the 
Roman  law ;  but  when  they  departed,  every  vestige  oi 
government  and  their  language  departed  with  them.  The 
Saxons  brought  in  their  own  laws,  or  rather  customs ;  for 
there  were  no  written  laws  till  the  time  of  Ethelred,  who 
was  the  first  Christian  king  of  Kent. 

The  code  of  Ethelred  still  exists,  and  strongly  shows  the 
simplicity  of  manners  in  those  ancient  times.  Alfred,  and 
after  him  Edward  the  Confessor,  also  made  codes  of  laws, 
many  of  which  are  still  in  force.  From  the  number  oi 
laws  for  the  preservation  of  the  peace,  which  are  to  be 
found  in  those  ancient  codes,  it  would  appear  that  the 
Saxons  were  a  most  quarrelsome  race.  Indeed,  scarcely 
any  meetings  were  held  in  those  rude  ages,  either  for  busi- 
ness or  pleasure,  without  ending  in  rioting  and  bloodshed. 


King  John,  as  soon  as  he  quitted  Runimede,  retired  sul- 
len and  out  of  humor  to  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  he  spent 
three  months  in  planning  schemes  for  revenging  himself 
on  the  barons.  He  sent  agents  to  raise  an  army  of  Bra- 
banters,  promising  them  the  plunder  of  the  barons' estates. 
Meanwhile  the  barons,  too  much  despising  the  king  to  be- 
lieve him  capable  of  any  vigorous  measures,  had  made  no 
preparations  against  him,  and  were  amusing  themselves 
with  feastings,  tournaments,  and  bear-baitings,  the  usual 
diversions  of  the  times  ;  when  John,  starting  from  his  con- 
cealment, appsared  before  Rochester  castle  at  the  head 
of  an  army  of  foreign  soldiers. 

A  T)  I9ir  The  barons  were  now  reduced  to  great 
extremities ;  and  in  their  distress  resorted 
to  the  worst  and  weakest  measure  that  could  have  been 
thought  of.  They  invited  Louis,  eldest  son  of  the  king  ol 
France,  to  come  to  their  aid,  promising  him  the  crown  of 
England,  in  right  of  his  wife,  who  was  the  king's  niece. 
Louis  landed  with  his  army  at  Sandwich,  on  the  23d  of 
May  ;  he  thenretookRochester  castle,  and  entered  London 


What  sort  of  people  do  ihe  old  codes  show  the  Saxons  to  havo  heea  I 
Did  a  civil  war  follow  the  grant  of  Magna  Charta? 
W  lat  king  of  France  entered  Londjn  in  triumph? 


108  ENGLISH  HISTORY'. 

in  a  sort  of  triumph,  the  citizens  doing  homage  to  him  ab 
their  proper  sovereign. 

It  was  now  king  John's  turn  to  fly,  and  the  baron's  turn 
to  pursue.  Every  place  submitted  to  them  till  they  came 
to  Dover.  Hubert  de  Burgh  was  governor  there,  and  de 
fended  the  castle  so  well,  that  Louis  swore  a  solemn  oath 
that  he  would  not  quit  its  walls  till  he  had  taken  it,  and 
hanged  all  the  garrison.  This  oath  was  the  preservation 
of  England  ;  for  the  delay  of  the  French  prince  before 
Dover  castle,  gave  the  barons  time  to  reflect  on  their  error 
in  having  called  in  his  aid  ;  and  many  of  ihem  abandon- 
ed his  party,  and  joined  the  king. 

A  D  I9lfi  John  by  this  means  mustered  once  ajrain 
a  considerable  army  ;  but  meeting  with 
some  disasters  in  his  march  into  Lincolnshire,  fatigue  and 
anxiety  threw  him  into  a  fever.  With  great  difficulty  he 
reached  Newark,  where  he  died  on  the  19th  of  October, 
]  2 1 6,  in  the  forty -ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  eighteenth 
of  his  reign, 

John  was  twice  married.  By  his  first  wife  he  had  no 
children.  He  had  two  sons  and  three  daughters  by  his 
second  wife :  Henry,  who  succeeded  him  ;  Richard ;  Jane, 
married  to  Alexander,  king  of  Scotland ;  Eleanor,  married 
first  to  the  earl  of  Pembroke,  secondly,  to  the  earl  of 
Leicester  ;  Isabella,  married  to  Frederick  II.,  emperor  of 
Germany. 

I .  is  extraordinary  that  the  reign  of  the  worst  king  and 
the  worst  man  that  ever  wore  the  crown  of  England  should 
be  the  one  that  has  brought  the  most  lasting  good  to  the 
nation  The  Magna  Charta  has  consecrated  the  reign  of 
king  John  to  all  succeeding  ages.  Besides  this  great 
charter,  he  had,  in  the  early  part  of  his  reign,  granted  one 
to  the  citizens  of  London,  conferring  on  them  many  ol 
the  privileges  they  at  this  day  enjoy. 

An  interdict,  was  forbidding,  or  interdicting,  divine  ser 

What  circumstance  disposed  the  English  barons  to  abandon  the 
French  king  ? 

What  was  the  death  of  John  ? 

Who  were  John's  family  ? 

What  great  benefit  to  the  English  nation  derived  from  John? 

Was  John  generous,  or  selfish — superstitious,  or  religious — piwillliJ 
raous.  or  courageous?     (Ans.  the  pupil's  judgment.) 

WliSt  was  an  inte  diet  1 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  109 

rice  to  be  publicly  performed.  When  a  nation  was  under 
an  interdict,  the  churches  were  shut ;  the  bells  were  not 
rung ;  the  dead  were  buried  in  ditches  and  holes,  without 
the  performance  of  the  funeral  service;  diversions  of  al. 
kinds  were  forbidden  ;  and  every  thing  wore  an  appear- 
ance of  mourning  and  gloom. 

Excommunication  was  a  worse  sentence  still,  and  wa^ 
levelled  at  persons,  as  an  interdict  generally  was  at  nations. 
Apersonwhowas  excommunicated,  was  considered  as  un- 
holy and  polluted ;  everyone  was  forbidden  to  come  ne:n 
him,  or  to  render  him  any  friendly  offices.  Thus,  if  the 
sentence  could  have  been  fully  enforced,  it  was  possible 
for  the  most  potent  monarch  to  become,  by  a  single  man- 
date of  the  pope,  a  miserable  outcast. 

In  this  age,  robbery  was  common.  Robin  Hood  lived 
in  the  reigns  of  John  and  his  successor.  He  died  in  the 
year  1247.  He  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  birth  and 
fortune,  and  to  have  squandered  his  patrimony.  He  then, 
as  the  story  goes,  betook  himself  to  the  woods  and  forests, 
and  became,  if  such  a  phrase  be  proper,  a  sort  of  gentle- 
man robber ;  and  pacified  his  conscience  by  robbing  only 
the  rich,  and  by  being  beneficent  to  the  poor.  But  hr? 
fame  is  more  owing  to  the  ballads  that  have  been  made 
C  n  hin',  than  to  any  of  his  own  good  or  bad  deeds 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

HENRY  III. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1216— 1272. J 

When  King  John  died,  his  eldest  son  Henry,  called 
Henry  of  Winchester,  from  the  place  of  his  birth,  was 
only  eight  years  old.  The  Earl  of  Pembroke,  who  was  a 
wise  and  good  man,  was  made  protector  of  the  kingdom, 


What  was  excommunication  ? 

Who  was  a  famous  rebber  in  king  Jahn's  time  ? 

Who  succeeded  John,  and  who  was  the  protector? 


110  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

and  governor  of  the  young  king;  and  while  he  lived,  the 
youth  and  incapacity  of  Henry  were  of  no  material  disad- 
vantage to  the  country.  Pembroke,  by  renewing  the  great 
charter,  and  seeing  that  the  articles  of  it  were  duly  execu- 
ted, brought  back  most  of  the  rebellious  barons  to  tho 
royal  cause. 

A  "n  1917  Louis  continued  in  England  some  months 
'  after  the  death  of  John,  but  without  being 
able  to  increase  the  number  of  his  partisans  ;  and  on  the 
1 9th  day  of  May,  he  encountered  the  royal  army  at  Lin- 
coln, and  was  so  completely  beaten  in  a  battle  which  was 
fought  in  the  streets  of  that  town,  that  he  was  glad  to 
make  peace  with  the  protector,  and  to  withdraw  with  the 
remnant  of  his  army  into  France. 

The  earl  of  Pembroke  governed  the  kingdom  with 
honor,  wisdom,  and  success,  till  1219,  when,  to  the  mis- 
fortune of  England  and  its  king,  he  died.  Hubert  de 
Burgh,  and  Peter  de  Roches,  a  native  of  Poitou,  were  ap- 
pointed to  succeed  him. 

\  T)  12oq  When  the  king  was  sixteen  years  old, he 
was  declared  of  age  to  govern  by  himself, 
[n  1224,  Philip,  king  of  France,  died,  and  his  son  Louis 
succeeded  him ;  but  he  also  died  soon  after,  and  left  an 
infant  son,  Louis  the  Ninth,  under  the  guardianship  of  his 
mother,  Blanche  of  Castile.  Henry  thought  this  would 
be  a  good  opportunity  to  attempt  the  recovery  of  Norman- 
dy, and  led  an  army  there  in  1230  ;  but  he  so  misconduct- 
ed the  expedition,  that,  instead  of  obtaining  any  advanta- 
ges, he  returned  in  a  few  months  to  England,  covered 
with  disgrace. 

A  D  123R  Henry  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  the 
earl  of  Provence,  and  immediately  raised 
her  friends  and  relations  to  some  of  the  highest  offices  of 
the  state,  which  gave  great  offence  to  the  English  no- 
bles. This  king's  most  hurtful  folly  was  the  weakness 
with  which  he  attached  himself  to  strangers,  particularly 
to  foreigners,  and  the  fickleness  and  caprice  with  which 
be  cast  off  old  favorites  to  set  up  new  ones. 


On  what  account  did  the  French  king  make  peace  with  England 
When  did  the  earl  of  Pembroke  die,  and  who  succeeded  him7 
What  happened  to  Henry  in  Normandy  ? 
Wuat  was  the  principal  folly  of  Henry's  government? 


ENGLISH  HISTOHV.  Ill 

And  he  was  also  so  profuse  to  his  favorites,  that  his 
treasures  were  soon  exhausted,  and  he  was  often  obliged  to 
apply  to  parliament  (as  the  great  council  of  the  nation  be 
gan  about  this  time  to  be  called)  for  a  supply  of  money. 
By  these  proceedings  he  made  himself  every  year  more 
and  more  despised,  and  many  plans  were  formed  for  depo- 
sing him. 

The  pope,  profiting  by  Henry's  imbecility,  made  many 
and  great  encroachments  on  *he  rights  of  the  church  of 
England.  The  benefices  were  by  his  means  filled  with 
Italians,  and  he  contrived  to  intermeddle  on  all  occasions. 
In  1255  he  led  the  king  into  much  expense,  by  conferring 
on  his  second  son  Edmund  the  title  of  king  of  Sicily, 
which  he  did  in  the  hope  of  revenging  a  quarrel  of  his 
own  with  Mainfroy,  king  of  Sicily,  by  drawing  on  Henry 
to  invade  that  island.  All  the  English  barons  refused  to 
give  the  least  assistance  to  this  project. 

The  king,  finding  every  method  fail  of  extorting  money 
from  his  subjects  for  this  expedition,  resorted  to  one  that 
was  till  then  unknown.  He  gave  to  Italian  merchants 
bills  of  exchange  to  a  great  amount,  for  money  pretended 
to  be  advanced  by  them  for  the  Sicilian  war.  These  bills 
were  drawn  on  the  prelates  of  England,  who  at  first  re- 
fused to  pay  the  demands  thus  made  on  them  :  but  through 
the  remonstrances  of  the  pope  they  at  length  submitted. 

A  T)  19^8  ^e  a^sence  °f  tne  king's  brother,  who 
went  to  Germany,  and  of  many  nobles 
who  were  attached  to  the  royal  cause,  gave  an  opportunity 
to  the  disaffected  barons  of  bringing  about  the  rebellion 
they  had  planned.  Simon  De  Montfort,  earl  of  Leicester, 
who  had  once  been  one  of  the  king's  favorites,  took  the 
lead  in  this  rebellion.  The  barons  assembled  at  Oxford 
on  the  11th  June,  1258,  and  obliged  the  king,  and  his 
eldest  son,  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  to  agree  to  a  treaty, 
by  Which  twenty-four  of  their  own  body,  at  the  head  ol 
whom  was  De  Montfort,  had  authority  given  them  to  re- 
form all  abuses. 


Did  the  Pope  continue  to  meddle  in  the  affairs  of  England  ? 
Did  the    English  barons  engage  in  an  expedition   planned  Ly   tht» 
Pope? 

When  were  bills  of  exchange  invented  ? 

DiJ  tlie  imbe<  ility  of  Henry  induce  a  rebellion  in  12.^8 ': 


112  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

The  barons,  under  this  pretext,  assumed  a  light  to  gcn- 
ern  the  kingdom  :  but  the  people  scarcely  acknowledging 
such  rulers,  or  not  knowing  whom  they  were  to  obey,  paid 
no  respect  to  the  laws,  and  it  seemed  as  if  all  government 
was  dissolved.  This  state  of  things  lasted  for  six  years. 
The  king  and  the  barons  were  continually  making  treaties 
the  conditions  which  wrere  broken  as  soon  as  made. 

The  king  of  France,  Louis  the  Ninth,  with  a  very  dif 
ferent  policy  from  that  which  had  actuated  his  grandfathei 
Philip,  tried  to  make  peace  between  Henry  and  his  barons, 
but  Henry  was  too  weak,  and  De  Montfort  too  ambitious, 
to  listen  to  reason,  and  all  Louis's  endeavors  were  una- 
vailing. 

A  D  12f4  ^  ^ast  Prmce  Edward,  who  inherited 
more  of  the  capacity  and  courage  of  the 
Plantagenets  than  either  his  father  or  grandfather  had  pos- 
sessed, became  old  enough  to  stand  forward  and  assert  his 
own  and  his  father's  rights  ;  and  many  barons,  disgusted 
with  the  conduct  of  the  twenty-four  self-appointed  rulers, 
joined  the  royal  standard.  The  armies  of  the  king  and  of 
the  earl  of  Leicester  met  at  Lewes,  in  Sussex,  on  the  14lh 
of  May,  1264. 

The  result  of  this  encounter  was  the  complete  discom- 
fiture of  the  prince.  Edward,  finding  himself  surrounded 
by  Leicester's  troops,  without  the  possibility  of  escaping, 
was  obliged  to  submit  to  any  terms  that  might  be  imposed  : 
and  he  and  his  cousin  prince  Henry  were  detained,  and 
sent  strongly  guarded  to  Dover  castle,  under  the  color  of 
being  hostages  for  their  two  fathers,  who  were  still,  in 
effect,  kept  prisoners. 

Leicester  now  could  do  whatever  he  liked.  He  used 
the  king's  name  for  his  own  purposes,  seized  on  the  pro- 
perty of  many  of  the  royal  barons,  and  took  possession,  in 
the  king's  name,  of  some  of  the  royal  castles.  He  also 
formed  plans  of  raising  himself  to  the  throne.  But  his 
ambition  caused  his  ruin.     The   earl  of  Gloucester,  hi* 


Did  the  usurpation  of  the  barons  produce  confusion  in  England  ? 
Did  Louis  of  France  promote  peace  in  England  ? 
Did  prince  Edward  maintain  ine  rights  of  the  crown  ? 
How  did  Leicester  treat  the  king  and  prince  Edward  1 
How  did  the  earl  of  Leicester  c  ndurt  himself? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  113 

former  associate,  and  now  his  rival,  seeinghimself  eclipsed 
by  Leicester's  greatness,  secretly  planned  his  ruin. 

Leicester,  perceiving  himself  an  object  of  suspicion,  tried 
to  regain  the  good  opinion  of  the  people,  by  pretending  to 
set  Edward  at  liberty,  and  restore  him  to  his  father;  but  as 
Henry  was  in  reality  a  prisoner  also,  the  prince  only 
changed  his  place  of  confinement,  and  Leicester  became 
the  more  hated  for  this  deceit.  In  the  meantime  Glouces- 
ter had  retired  to  his  estates  on  the  borders  of  Wale?,  and 
put  his  castles  in  a  state  of  defence.  He  was  proclaimed 
a  traitor  in  the  king's  name  by  Leicester,  wTho  came  to 
Hereford,  bringing  the  king  and  the  prince  with  him. 

The  earl  of  Gloucester,  being  anxious  for  an  opportu- 
nity of  getting  the  prince  out  of  Leicester's  hands,  was 
very  much  pleased  at  this.  He  formed  a  plan  which  he 
contrived  to  communicate  to  him  for  his  escape,  and  sent 
him  a  horse  of  extraordinary  fleetness.  The  prince,  ac- 
cording to  Gloucester's  plan,  pretended  to  be  very  ill,  and 
in  a  few  days,  appearing  a  little  better,  he  obtained  Leices- 
ter's permission  to  ride  out  for  the  benefit  of  his  health 

Riding  slowly,  the  prince  after  some  little  time,persuad 
ed  the  gentlemen  who  were  his  guards  to  ride  races  with 
one  another.  When  he  thought  that  their  horses  were 
sufficiently  tired  with  this  exercise,  he  raised  himself  erect 
in  his  saddle,  and  telling  his  guards  "he  had  long  enough 
enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  their  company,  and  that  he  now 
bade  them  adieu,"  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  was  soon 
beyond  the  reach  of  pursuit.  He  was  joined  immediately 
by  the  earl  of  Gloucester  ;  and,  as  soon  as  his  escape  was 
known,  all  the  loyal  barons  flocked  to  him,  and  he  was 
thus  at  the  head  of  a  considerable  army. 

Leicester, ha vingthe  old  king  still  in  his  power,  obliged 
him  to  issue  a  proclamation,  declaring  the  prince  a  traitor. 
He  also  sent  for  his  own  eldest  son  Simon  from  London, 
who  accordingly  set  out  to  join  him  with  a  great  reinforce- 
ment. But  the  prince  intercepted  and  defeated  Simon  at 
Kenil worth ;  and,  before  Leicester  could  hear  of  his  son's 


Kow  did  Leicester  endeavor  to  gain  the  favor  of  the  people  • 
Who  assisted  prince  Edward   to  escape  from  the  custody  of 
feT? 
How  did  the  prince  make  his  escape  ? 
Did  prince  Edward  gain  iny  advantage  over  the  harons  f 
6 


114  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

defeat,  Edward's  ai my  appeared  in  sight,  bearing  in  front 
the  bankers  taken  from  young  De  Montfort  at  KeniU 
worth. 

This  made  the  earl  at  first  suppose  that  the  reinforce- 
ment he  was  expecting  had  arrived  ;  but,  when  the  prince 
advanced  near  enough  for  him  to  find  out  his  mistake,  he 
exclaimed,  "Nowr  God  have  mercy  on  our  souls,  for  our 
bodies  are  prince  Edward's !"  The  battle  soon  began, 
and  king  Henry  was  dragged  into  the  midst  of  it  by  Lei- 
cester, and  was  near  being  killed  by  one  of  prince  Ed- 
ward's soldiers ;  but  he  called  out,  as  the  soldier,  not  know 
ing  him,  was  going  to  strike  him  down,  "I  am  Henry  of 
Winchester,  thy  king  ;  don't  kill  me." 

A  "D  12fi5  ^e  so^er  tnen  ^e^  Henry  out  of  the 
battle  ;  and  the  prince,  being  informed 
where  to  find  him, flew  to  puthimin  a  place  of  safety,and 
then  returned  to  the  fight,  which  ended  in  his  gaining  a 
complete  victory.  Leicester  and  his  son  Henry  were 
killed.  This  important  battle  was  fought  at  Evesham, 
on  the  4th  of  May,  1265,  and  put  an  end  to  the  con- 
federacy of  the  barons.  Simon,  De  Montforfs  eldest 
son,  and  a  few  others,  still  made,  indeed,  some  ineffectual 
struggles  ;  but  these  wTere  only  like  the  subsiding  of  a 
storm. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1270,  prince  Edward  embarked  at 
Portsmouth  for  the  Holy  Land,  meaning  to  join  the  king 
of  France  (who  had  set  out  on  a  crusade,  the  sixth  and  the 
last,)  at  Tunis ;  but,  on  his  arrival  there,  he  found  that 
Louis,  who  has  acquired  the  surname  of  Saint,  had  died 
of  the  plague.  On  his  death,  the  French  troops  returned 
to  Europe  ;  but  Edward  resolved  still  to  pursue  the  en- 
terprise with  his  own  little  army. 

Edward  conducted  himself  with  great  skill  and  valor ; 
and  the  Saracens,  who  found  him  a  very  powerful  enemy, 
employed  an  assassin  to  murder  him.  Edward  wrenched 
thf;  dagger  from  the  man's  hand,  and  killed  him  in  his  at- 
tempt, not  however  before  he  had  himself  been  wounded 


Was  the  king's  life  in  imminent  danger  in  a  battle  between  hid  eon' 
jnd  Leicester's  loops? 

When  were  the  barons  finally  defeated  ? 

Did  prince  Edward  engage  in  the  last  crusade  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  115 

;n  the  arm  with  the  poisoned  weapon.  The  wound,  we  are 
told,  might  have  proved  fatal,  had  not  his  affectionate  wife 
Eleanora,  who  had  accompanied  him  to  Palestine,  pre- 
vented the  effect  of  the  poison  by  sucking  the  wound.  He 
set  out  on  his  return  to  Europe  soon  afterwards. 

A  T)  \cTfCl  ^m*st  tne  Prmce  "was  tnus  exposing him- 
'  *  '  '  self  to  unnecessary  perils  abroad,  the  royal 
family  was  suffering  great  affliction  at  home.  Prince 
Henry,  son  of  the  king  of  the  Romans,  (as  prince  Rich- 
ard, the  king's  brother,  was  entitled,)  was  basely  murdered 
in  Italy  by  the  exiled  sons  of  the  earl  of  Leicester,  and 
his  father  died  of  grief  at  Berkhamstead.  King  Henry  was 
become  old  and  feeble  ;  and  his  government,  never  much 
respected,  was  now  totally  despised ;  and  riots,  robberies, 
and  excesses  of  all  kinds,  were  perpetually  committed. 

Henry  III.,  worn  out  by  infirmities,  died  at  Westminster 
on  the  ]  6th  of  November,  1272,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of 
his  age,  and  the  fifty-seventh  of  his  reign.  The  longest 
reign  in  British  annals,  with  the  exception  of  that  of 
George  III. 

He  married  Eleanor  of  Provence.  His  children  were, 
Edward  ;  Edmund,  titular  king  of  Sicily  ;  Margaret,  mar- 
ried Alexander  III.,  king  of  Scotland  ;  and  Beatrix,  mar- 
ried to  the  duke  of  Bretagne. 


The  state  of  society  in  England  during  the  long  reign 
of  Henry  III.,  deserves  some  notice.  It  has  been  men- 
tioned that  under  the  feudal  system,  the  whole  territory  ol 
the  country,  except  a  certain  portion  reserved  to  the  king 
for  his  own  uses,  and  the  church  property,  was  bestowed 
by  the  kingupon  the  nobles  ;  and  that  they  held  their  im- 
mense estates  upon  condition  of  supporting  the  king,  and 
affording  him  assistance  to  fight  his  battles,  no  other  army 
existing,  than  that  afforded  by  the  nobles  or  barons  of  their 
dependents. 

The  nobles  held  courts  and  administered  justice,  each  in 

What  remarkable  circumstance  happened  to  Edward  in  Palestine  * 
What  was  the  condition  of  England  in  the  last  days  of  Henry'  III  ? 
Whose  was  the  longest  reign  in  England  ? 
How  did  the  feudal  system  divide  the  territory  of  England  ? 
What  wye  thekins's  council  ? 


116 


£NGLISH  HISTORy. 


his  own  domain  ;  though  Henry  II.  had  divided  the  king' 
dom  into  circuits,  and  judges  were  appointed  to  travel 
through  the  circuits,  to  see  the  laws  enforced.  When  the 
king  required  advice,  the  barons  were  called  from  theii 
castles  to  the  capital  to  give  him  counsel.  The  assem- 
bly of  the  barons  was  called  the  "  King's  Council." 

In  the  course  of  time,  certain  free  men,  left  the  baron's 
estates  and  carried  on  arts  and  commerce  in  towns,  and 
formed  what  were  called  corporations — that  is,  companies 
with  certain  privileges.  The  barons,  pel  haps  sold  or  gave 
estates  to  some  of  their  favorite  retainers,  so  thft  besides, 
barons  and  vassals,  tradesmen  and  merchants,  there  came 
to  be  in  England,  Franklins  or  freemen — independent 
possessors  of  small  estates. 

The  richer  and  more  intelligent  of  these  last-mentioned 
classes  formed  what  is  called  the  gentry  of  England,  that 
is  the  gentlemen  and  ladies  distinguished  from  the  nobility, 
and  the  inferior  classes.  The  latter  were  the  mechanics, 
laborers,  and  house  servants.  This  order  of  gentry  was, 
perhaps,  a  longtime  in  forming,  but  it  came  to  be  acknow 
ledged  as  very  respectable  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III. 

It  appears  that  when  the  barons  resisted  the  despotism 
of  the  king  of  England,  and  proposed  to  restrain  the  abuses 
of  power,  they  thought  it  expedient  that  the  gentry  as 
well  as  the  nobility  should  have  some  share  in  the  govern- 
ment, and  therefore  they  proposed  that  besides  the  king's 
Council  to  deliberate  upon  public  affairs,  another  body 
should  be  summoned  to  legislate  or  make  laws  for  the 
country. 

The  first  certain  information  we  have  of  a  parliament, 
like  the  parliaments  of  the  present  time,  is  in  1265,  when 
the  earl  of  Leicester,  in  the  king's  name,  sent  writs,  or 
written  orders,  to  the  sheriffs,  to  send  "two  discreet, 
knights  from  each  county"  to  serve  in  parliament.  Every 
city  and  borough  was  also  ordered  to  send  "  two  of  its 
wisest  citizens  and  burgesses." 

At  first  the  nobles  and  the  representatives  of  the  counties 

Who  became  independent  orders  in  England? 
Who  formed  the  gentry,  and  who  the  lower  classes  ? 
Were  the  middle  classes  admitted  to  the  legislature  of  England  ? 
What  is  the  first  information  we  p(  bsess  of  the  origin  of  the  Enpliih 
parliament  \ 

Do  the  lords  and  commons  assemble  together? 


English  /iistouy.  117 

and  towns  assembled  in  one  house  ;  but  afterwards  they 
divided  themselves  into  two  :  and  hence  arose  the  House 
of  Lords,  and  the  House  of  Commons ;  the  one  composed 
of  noblemen  who  attend  there  in  right  of  birth,  and  the 
other  of  gentlemen  who  are  elected  by  the  people. 

Before  laws  were  written,  and  lawyers  contended  for 
law  to  be  enforced,  and  judges  were  appointed  to  explain 
the  law  and  what  it  demanded,  it  has  been  stated,  that 
nobles  settled  disputes,  or  wars  decided  them;  but  besides 
those  modes  of  deciding  the  right,  trials  by  combat  and 
ordeals  were  admitted. 

The  trial  by  combat  was  a  duel,  or  trial  of  arms.  Two 
angry  persons  fought  together  and  the  disabled  person  was 
pronounced  the  ofFender,  and  the  conqueror  the  justified 
man.  The  ordeal  required  an  accused  person  to  walk 
over  burning  ploughshares,  or  hot  irons  blindfold,  and  if  he 
escaped  burning  he  was  pronounced  innocent,  and  dis- 
charged from  punishment  of  the  imputed  crime.  In  the 
reign  of  Henry  III.  trials  by  ordeal  were  abolished. 

A  license  was  granted  in  this  reign  to  the  people  of 
Newcastle,  allowing  them  to  dig  for  coals,  the  first  men- 
tion we  find  of  that  useful  mineral.  In  this  reign,  though 
the  class  of  gentry  arose,  the  condition  of  the  lower  orders 
remained  unchanged  ;  and  slaves  were  bought  and  sold 
like  brute  animals  at  the  fairs.  There  were  no  regular 
shops,  and  the  merchants  and  traders  travelled  from  place 
to  place  to  dispose  of  their  goods. 

Roger  Bacon  was  the  -most  eminent  man  of  the  age  ol 
Henry  III.  This  extraordinary  person  was  a  monk  at 
Oxford,  and  was  the  most  learned  man  of  his  age.  He  ap- 
plied his  learning  to  the  discovery  of  useful  knowledge. 
He  invented  tele  scopes,  reading  glasses,  microscopes,  and 
many  other  astronomical  and  mathematical  instruments. 
He  discovered  gunpowder,  though  he  considered  it  as  an 
jbject  of  mere  curiosity,  rather  than  as  an  invention  that 
could  be  applied  to  the  destruction  of  human  life. 


How  were  disputes  settled  before  laws  were  written,  and  courts  o< 
law  established  ? 

What  was  the  trial  by  combat,  and  what  the  ordeal  ? 

What  circumstances  are  memorable  in  the  reign  of  Henry  1/1.  ' 

Who  was  the  most  eminent  man  of  'this  age  in  England,  and  for 
what* 


118  ENGLISH   H1ST0KY 


Bacon's  genius  soared  so  far  above  all  his  contempora- 
ries, that  he  was  looked  upon  as  a  magician,  and  thrown 
into  prison,  where  he  was  kept  for  many  years.  He  at 
length  returned  to  Oxford  and  3ied  there,  a  very  old  man 
in  1292 


CHAPTER    XIV 


EDWARD  I. 


[Years  after  Christ,  1272—1307.] 


A  D  1274  ^n  rece*vmg  news  of  his  father's  death, 
Prince  Edward  set  out  for  England,  but 
he  delayed  so  long  on  the  road,  that  he  did  not  arrive  there 
till  the  2d  of  May,  1274.  His  first  business  was  to  restore 
the  police  of  the  kingdom,  and  he  made  many  excellent 
laws  and  regulations.  His  expedient  to  fill  his  coffers  was 
not  so  commendable.  He  employed  commissioners  to  exa- 
mine into  the  titles  by  which  all  persons  held  their  es- 
tates ;  and  if  any  one  had  not  a  legal  title,  that  is,  a  writ- 
ing which  recorded  that  the  estate  was  given  or  sold  to 
the  proprietor,  or  his  ancestors,  he  was  compelled  eitheT 
to  pay  a  great  fine,  or  to  forfeit  his  land  to  the  king. 

When  the  commissioners  came  to  earl  Warrenne,  and 
desired  him  to  produce  the  title  by  which  he  held  his 
estate,  he  drew  an  old  rusty  sword  out  of  the  scabbard,  and 
said,  "This  is  the  instrument  by  which  my  ancestors  gain- 
ed their  estate,  and  by  which  I  will  keep  it  as  long  as  I 
live  "  When  this  answer  was  reported  to  Edward,  he 
became  sensible  of  the  hazard  he  was  incurring,  and  put 
an  end  to  the  commission. 


When  did  Edward  I.  come  to  the  throne,  and  what  was  his  policy  ? 
How  did  Earl  Warrenne  assert  the  title  of  his  estate  and  what  is  a 
title  to  landed  property  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  119 

A  D  T>fi2  ^ie  ^e^s^'  un(^er  tHeir  Prince  Llewei- 
"  lyri,  had  long  been  ve*y  troublesome 
neighbors  to  the  English.  They  had  joined  in  Leicester's 
rebellions,  and  did  not  keep  the  terms  of  peace  which 
Edward  made  with  them  on  coming  to  the  throne.  Per- 
haps Edward  was  not  sorry  to  have  this  pretext  for  making 
war  on  them ;  and  they,  presuming  too  much  on  their  own 
strength,  attacked  his  army  on  the  11th  of  December, 
]  282,  and  were  totally  defeated. 

The  Welsh  king,  Llewellyn,  was  killed  in  the  battle, 
and  his  brother  David  was  taken  prisoner,  and  beheaded 
like  a  common  traitor.  His  head  was  put  on  the  walls  of 
the  tower  of  London,  and  his  limbs  were  quartered,  ac- 
cording to  the  barbarous  custom  of  those  times,  and  were 
hung  up  in  four  different  places,  at  York,  Winchester 
Bristol,  and  Northampton. 

David  being  the  last  branch  of  that  family  of  ancient 
kings,  Edward  took  undisputed  possession  of  Wales,  and 
promising  the  people  a  prince  of  their  own  country,  who 
could  speak  no  English,  presented  to  them  his  own  eldest 
son,  born  a  few  days  before  in  Carnarvon  castle,  who  was 
thence  called  prince  of  Wales,  as  all  the  eldest  sons  of  the 
English  kings  have  been  called  since. 

The  kings  of  England  and  Scotland  had  lived  in  singu- 
lar harmony,  during  the  last  two  reigns,  in  which  the  in- 
termarriages between  the  royal  families  of  Scotland  and 
England  had  made  a  family  as  well  as  a  national  union. 
Alexander  the  Third  had  married  king  Edward's  sister 
who  died  leaving  only  one  child,  Margaret,  who  after- 
wards married  the  king  of  Norway,  and  died,  leaving  a 
little  daughter  about  three  years  old.  Alexander  himself 
died  in  1286,  and  his  infant  grand-child  became  heiress 
of  his  dominions. 

Edward  proposed  to  the  king  of  Norway  that  the  prince 
of  Wales  should  marry  his  daughter,  the  little  queen  of 


On  what  pretext  did  Edward  make  war  with  the  Wels  h  T 
How  did  Edward  treat  the  Welsh  princes  ? 
Whom  did  Edward  offer  the  Welsh  for  a  king  ? 
Was  the  royal  family  of  Scotland  connected  with  that  of  England  ? 
What  hiulered  the  marriage  of  the  prince  of   Wales  with  the  queen  ci 
Gotland  f 


120  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Scotland.  Such  early  marriages  were  then  not  uncom- 
mon. Indeed  Alexander  and  his  queen  had  been  betrothed, 
or  promised  to  each  other,  when  neither  of  them  was  a 
year  old.  The  king  of  Norway  and  the  parliament  of 
Scotland  having  consented  to  this  match,  the  young  queen 
was  on  her  way  to  Scotland,  when,  being  taken  ill,  she 
was  obliged  to  be  landed  at  the  Orkneys,  and  there  she 
died. 

The  death  of  a  little  girl  of  three  years  old  was  never 
before  so  much  lamented,  nor  has  ever  since  produced  such 
disastrous  consequences.  But  her  death  prevented  the 
union  between  the  two  nations,  and  plunged  Scotland 
into  long  and  bloody  private  feuds  and  public  wars.  No 
fewer  than  thirteen  competitors  for  the  throne  sprung  up. 
Robert  Bruce  and  John  Baliol  were  the  two  whose  claims 
were  the  strongest ;  and  they  agreed  to  refer  the  decision 
to  Edward,  who  was  so  much  looked  up  to  by  the  princes 
of  Europe,  that  he  had  before  been  applied  to,  to  deter- 
mine a  competition  for  the  crown  of  Sicily.  In  that  case, 
where  his  interest  was  not  concerned,  he  had  given  a  wise 
and  equitable  decision.  Happy  had  it  been  for  both  Eng- 
land and  Scotland,  would  he  have  done  so  now :  but  the 
temptation  offered  was  too  great  for  him  to  resist. 

Edward  came  to  Norham,  on  the  border  of  Scotland, 
with  a  numerous  army ;  and  first  insisted  that  his  supre- 
macy over  Scotland  should  be  admitted  ;  which  the  Scots 
agreed  to  after  much  hesitation.  He  then  required  that 
the  royal  castles,  and  places  of  strength  should  be  put  into 
his  hands  ;  and,  when  this  was  done,  he  gave  judgment 
in  favor  of  Baliol,  who  was  proclaimed  king  of  Scotland. 
But  the  mere  name  of  king  was  all  that  he  obtained,  for 
being  of  a  weak  capacity,  he  could  make  no  resistance  to 
the  encroachments  and  exactions  of  Edward,  who  treated 
him  like  a  child,  and  was  disposed  to  treat  the  Scots  like 
slaves. 

On  their  refusing  to  submit  tamely,  he  marched  into 
Scotland,  and  defeated   at.  Dunbar  the  army  of  Baliol. 


What  event  threw  the  Scots  into  a  state  of  civil  warfare  ? 
Why  did  Edward  I.  interfere  in  the  affairs  of  Scotland  1 
How  did  Edward  treat  the  Scots  ? 
What  was  the  end  of  John  Baliol  ? 


ENGLISH   HIS  TOR  V.  121 

Baliul  then  threw  himself  into  the  hands  of  the  king  of 
England,  who  obliged  him  to  make  a  solemn  renunciation 
of  his  crown,  and  detained  him  a  prisoner  for  three  years. 
He  was  then  allowed  to  retire  to  France,  where  he  died 
at  an  advanced  age,  having  been  nominally  a  king  for 
four  years. 

While  Edward  was  thus  endeavoring  to  increase  his 
dominions  in  one  quarter  by  injustice  and  violence,  he  lost 
part  of  them  in  another  by  an  artifice  more  contemptible, 
but  not  more  unjust,  than  those  he  himself  practised. 
Guienne,  the  inheritance  of  the  old  queen  Eleanor,  had 
still  remained  to  her  posterity,  when  almost  every  thing 
ebe  they  had  possessed  in  France  was  gone. 

Some  disputes  arising  with  Philip  the  Fair,  king  of 
France,  about  the  ceremony  of  doing  homage  for  that 
duchy,  Edward,  by  way  of  a  form  of  acknowledgment  of  the 
feudal  superiority  of  the  king  of  France,  was  persuaded  to 
surrender  the  duchy  to  Philip,  who  promised,  on  the  word 
of  a  king,  to  restore  it  immediately  ;  but  when  that  wily 
monarch  had  got  possession,  he  would  not  resign  it,  and 
Edward  was  too  deeply  engaged  in  the  affairs  of  Scotland 
to  be  able  at  that  time  to  avenge  himself. 

In  1291  Edward  had  the  affliction  of  losing  his  queen. 
She  died  at  Harby,  in  Nottinghamshire,  and  Edward 
accompanied  her  body  from  thence  to  its  burial  place  at 
Westminster,  and,  to  commemorate  her  worth,  and  his  own 
grief,  he  caused  a  stone  cross  to  be  erected  at  every  place 
where  the  body  stopped  in  this  melancholy  journey. 

A  T)  12Qf*  After  the  imprisonment  of  Baliol,  Edward 
treated  Scotland  like  a  conquered  coun- 
try. Earl  Warrenne  was  appointed  governor  of  the  king- 
dom, and  all  the  offices  of  state  were  given  to  Englishmen. 
The  Scots  groaned  bitterly  under  this  degradation  ;  and, 
m  1297,  William  Wallace,  whose  name  will  never  be  for- 
gotten, stood  forth,  though  only  a  private  gentleman  o{ 
small  estate,  to  rescue  his  fallen  country. 


By  wnat  right  was  Guienne  retained  by  the  English  ( 

How  did  the  king  deceive  Edward  I.  ? 

How  did  Edward  express  his  grief  for  the  death  of  his  queen  ? 

Wj.f  t  Scots  gertleraan  resisted  the  aggressions  of  Edward  I,  t 


122  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

Wallace  was  soon  joined  by  several  cf  the  nobility ;  and, 
notwithstanding  the  many  impediments  he  met  with  from 
the  jealousies  of  some  of  the  nobles,  he  maintained  the 
struggle  for  eight  years,  but  with  various  success.  At 
one  time  he  pushed  his  victorious  arms  into  England  ;  but 
at  another  his  cause  was  nearly  ruined  at  Falkirk,  where 
Edward  obtained  a  complete  victory.  At  last,  in  1305,  he 
was  betrayed  into  the  hands  of  the  English,  who  put  him 
to  death. 

A  T)  "1  305  J°nn  Baliol  had  died  in  France  the  year 
before,  and  Robert  Bruce,  son  of  the  for- 
mer competitor,  now  stood  alone  as  claimant  of  the  throne 
of  Scotland.  He  collected  a  small  army ;  and  the  countess 
of  Buchan,  in  whose  family  the  right  of  crowning  the  king 
had  been  hereditary,  placed  the  crown  upon  his  head  ;  her 
brother,  who  ought  to  have  done  it,  being  in  the  English 
interest.  When  Edward  heard  of  this,  he  was  enragevl 
beyond  measure,  and  vowed  the  destruction  of  The  Bruce, 
whose  escapes  and  adventures  were  very  extraordinary  ; 
and  are  related  in  an  interesting  manner  by  Sir  Walter 
Scott  in  his  Tales  of  a  Grandfather. 

Edward's  next  and  last  expedition  began  with  a  solemn 
oath,  that  he  would  march  into  Scotland,  and  never  return 
till  he  had  brought  it  into  entire  subjection.  And  he  kept 
his  vow ;  but  not  in  the  way  he  had  intended,  for  he  did 
not  subjugafe  Scotland,  and  he  never  returned.  He  spent 
many  months  in  a  vain  pursuit  of  Bruce  and  his  adherents, 
who  contrived  to  conceal  themselves  in  the  fastnesses 
amongst  the  mountains,  watching  for  favorable  opportu- 
nities of  coming  forth  from  their  hiding-places,  and  annoy- 
ing the  English. 

A  D  1307  ^  *ast  -Edward,  exasperated  by  disap- 
pointment, sent  for  all  the  forces  in  his 
dominions  to  meet  him  at  Carlisle.  Before  the  army  could 
arrive,  the  king  became  so  ill  as  to  be  confined  to  his  cham- 
ber. It  was  reported  that  he  was  dead,  and  to  show  the 
falsehood  of  the  report  he  set  out  from  Carlisle  :  but  wher 


Whut  became  of  Wallace  ? 

Who  laid  claim  to  the  crown  of  Scotland  A.  D,  1306  I 

What  was  the  king's  last  expedition  ? 

Where  did  Edward  I.  die  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  123 

fte  had  advanced  a  few  miles,  to  a  place  called  Burgh  on 
the  Sands,  he  was  obliged  to  stop.  He  there  expired  in  rt 
tent  by  the  road-side,  on  the  7th  of  July,  1307. 

Edward  was  seventy  years  old,  and  had  reigned  thirty- 
five  years.  He  was  twice  married  ;  first  to  Eleanor  of 
Castile,  by  whom  he  had  fifteen  children;  and, secondly, 
to  Marguerite,  sister  of  the  king  of  France,  by  whom  he 
had  two  sons.  Edward,  before  he  died,  charged  his  eld- 
est son  to  send  his  heart  to  the  Holy  Land  :  to  carry  his 
tody  with  the  army  into  Scotland,  and  not  to  bury  it,  till 
he  had  made  a  complete  conquest  of  that  country  ;  and 
never  to  recall  Piers  Gaveston,  a  wicked  favorite  of  the 
son,  whom  the  father  had  banished. 

In  the  relations  of  son,  husband,  and  father,  Edward  I. 
was  exemplary  :  and  yet  this  man,  with  all  these  fine  and 
noble  qualities,  was  the  occasion  of  infinite  misery  to  many 
thousands  of  people.  The  desire  of  possessing  himself  ot 
the  whole  island  had  so  beset  his  mind,  that  every  other 
consideration  gave  way  to  it.  To  attain  this  end,  he 
turned  courage  into  mad  ferocity,  and  prudence  into  de- 
ceit and  craft,  and  instead  of  doing  good  to  his  subjects, 
and  mankind,  inflicted  the  evils  of  war  to  the  utmost  ex- 
tent of  his  power. 


Amongst  the  many  violent  acts  of  Edward  was  the 
banishment  of  the  Jews.  He  drove  them  out  of  the  coun- 
try, and  leaving  them  only  money  enough  to  enable  tlient 
to  reach  some  foreign  land,  seized  on  all  the  rest  of  their 
property. 

The  first  commercial  treaty  to  which  England  was  a 
party,  was  made  between  Henry  the  Third  and  the  king 
of  Norway.  The  trade  of  England  was  chiefly  carried  on 
by  Germans.  The  principal  commodities  were  wool,  lead, 
and  tin.    These  were  brought  to  certain  towns  in  different 


What  was  the  king's  age,  &c  ? 
How  did  Edward  I.  treat  the  Jews  ? 

What  was  the   state  of  commerce   in   England  during   the   reign  cf 
Edwwd  I.  ? 
fly  whom  was  the  most  considerable  trade  of  England  carried  on? 


124  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

parts  called  the  staple  towns,  where  the  collectors  of  the 
king's  customs  were  appointed  to  receive  the  duty,  which 
is  a  tax  paid  to  the  custom-house  for  the  use  of  government 
on  all  articles  brought  from  foreign  countries. 

The  goods  were  then  sold  to  the  German  traders,  who 
were  called  the  merchants  of  the  staple  ;  and  these  people 
exported  them  abroad,  and  imported  gold,  silver,  and  va- 
rious goods  in  return.  The  Lombards  also  were  foreign- 
eis  -who  settled  in  England.  Their  business  was  chiefly 
to  lend  money  on  interest.  Lombard-street  in  London, 
was  so  named  from  them. 

In  respect  to  their  pleasures  the  people  of  England  im- 
bibed something  of  the  spirit  of  their  monarch.  Their 
very  amusements  were  all  of  a  martial  sort ;  and  the  learn- 
ing the  use  of  arms  was  a  necessary,  perhaps  may  be  added, 
a  principal  part  of  the  education  of  a  gentlemen.  To  every 
castle  belonged  a  paled  court  called  the  tilt-yard,  where 
the  young  men  used  to  practise  all  the  exercises  and  ma- 
noeuvres requisite  to  make  them  good  warriors. 

These  exercises,  and  the  mock  combats  in  which  they 
engaged,  were  always  practised  with  blunt  spears,  and  it 
was  thought  very  dishonorable  for  them  to  wound  each 
other.  They  had  also  many  games  in  these  tilt-yards 
which  were  excellently  calculated  to  improve  their  strength 
and  agility.  Riding  at  the  ring  was  one  of  these  ;  the  ob- 
ject of  which  was,  while  riding  at  full  speed,  to  run  the 
point  of  a  spear  through  a  small  ring  that  hung  suspended 
from  a  high  post. 

The  Tournament  was  a  favorite  spectacle  of  the  Eng- 
lish nation.  A  tournament  was  a  public  meeting  of 
knights,  to  display  their  skill  and  courage  in  mock  com- 
bats. These  meetings  were  commonly  proclaimed  for  a 
long  time  before  hand,  that  knights  from  a  distance  might 
be  able  to  attend.  They  were  in  general  held  by  kings 
and  princes  ;  and  queens,  and  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
the  nobles,  were  among  the  spectators  ;  and  the  most  beau- 


What  were  the  favorite  amusements  of  the  English  people  at  this 
time  ? 

Were  mock  combats  safe,  and  what  other  games  were  practised  by 
the  English  of  the  14th  century  ? 

"What  was  a  Tournament  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  125 

tiful  lady,  or  die  one  of  highest,  rank,  commonly  bestowed 
a  scarf,  or  some  such  prize,  on  the  knight  who  acquitted 
himself  best 


CHAPTER    XV 

EDWARD   II. 
{Years  after  Christ,  1307—1327. 


Q  uccn  Isabella  going  to  Paris,  1325. 

The  reign  of  Edward  the  Second,  is  nothing  but  a  do 
tail  of  follies  on  the  part  of  the  king,  and  of  violences  ou 
that  of  the  nobles.  The  king  began  his  reign  with  dis- 
obeying all  the  dying  commands  of  his  father.  He  re- 
called Gaveston  from  banishment ;  and,  abandoning  the 
invasion  of  Scotland,  gave  himself  up  to  frivolous  and  idie 
amusements.  He  resembled  his  father  in  the  beauty  of 
his  person,  but  not  in  the  qualities  of  his  mind.  He  was 
weak,  passionate,  and  irresolute,  fond  of  trifling  diversions, 
and,  if  we  may  believe  historians,  was  addicted  to  the  ig- 

"Wab  Eilwaid  II.  a  weak  or  a  wise  man  ? 


I'iO  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

noble  vice  of  drinking  to  excess.  He  was  devotedly  at 
cached  to  his  favorites,  who  were  with  no  exception,  ill 
chosen  and  unworthy  persons. 

A    D    1 307      Edward  married   Isabella,   daughter  of 

Philip  the  Fair,  king  of  France  ;  a  most 

unfortunate  marriage  for  him, though  at  first  the  queen  had 

the  greater  cause  for  complaint,  as  the  king  neglected  her 

society,  and  spent  all  his  time  with  his  favorite  Gaveston. 

Piers  Gaveston  v/as  a  native  of  Gascony ;  and  his  eleva- 
tion to  riches  and  honors  above  the  old  nobility  of  Eng- 
land made  him  an  object  of  general  dislike  ;  a  dislike  which 
was  greatly  increased  by  his  own  conduct ;  for  he  treated 
the  nobles  with  the  utmost  insolence,  and  used  to  divert 
hirrself  and  his  royal  master  by  turning  them  into  ridicule, 
and  giving  them  contemptuous  nicknames. 

'I  his  treatment  they  so  highly  resented,  that  they  entered 
into  a  confederacy  against  him,  at  the  head  of  which  was 
the  king's  cousin,  the  earl  of  Lancaster,  a  very  rich  and 
powerful  baron.  The  demand  of  the  confederate  nobles 
was,  that  Gaveston  should  besentout  of  the  country.  Ed- 
ward affected  to  comply  with  their  demand ;  but  instead  of 
Bending  him  back  to  Gascony,  as  they  had  meant,  he  made 
him  lord  deputy  of  Ireland,  and  the  year  after  recalled  him. 

A  T)  l^io  The  nobles,  and  indeed  the  whole  nation, 
were  so  completely  exasperated  against 
the  king  and  Gaveston,  that  a  civil  Avar  broke  out.  The 
earl  of  Lancester,  who  was  the  leader  of  the  barons'  ar- 
my, hearing  that  Gaveston  was  in  Scarborough  castle, 
despatched  the  earl  of  Pembroke  against  that  place,  who 
took  Gaveston  prisoner,  and  brought  him  to  his  own  cas- 
tle of  Deddington  in  Oxfordshire. 

One  day  when  the  earl  of  Pembroke  was  absent  from 
his  castle,  it  was  beset  by  a  party  of  troops,  headed  by 
Guy,  earl  of  Warwick,  who  took  Gavestc  n  to  Warwick, 
where  Lancaster  and  the  other  confederate  nobles  were  as- 
sembled.    The  nex'.day  they  carried  hirr  to  a  neighbor- 


Whom  did  Edward  II.  marry  ? 

Who  was  Piers  Gaveston  ? 

How  did  the  English  nobles  regard  Gavetton  ? 

Who  Wok  Gaveston  prisoner  ? 

In  what  CTUtf)  roamier  was  Gaveston  killed? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  127 

ing  hill,  called  Blacklow  Hill,  and  there  they  put  him  to 
ieath,  satiating  their  savage  hatred  by  looking  on  while  his 
head  was  severed  from  his  body. 

When  the  king  heard  of  the  murder  of  his  favorite,  he 
was  thrown  into  agonies  of  grief,  and  made  unwonted  ex- 
ertions to  revenge  his  death;  but  he  had  so  completely  lost 
the  affections  of  his  people  that  he  had  not  the  power  to 
make  his  resentment  felt,  and  was  obliged  to  smother  it 
und  accept  of  peace  on  the  terms  the  barons  chose  to  offer. 

A  T)  nid  While  England  was  thus  distracted  by  itM 
'  *   own  internal  broils,  Robert  Bruce  by  his 

courage  and  intrepidity,  had  established  himself  on  the 
throne  of  Scotland.  He  drove  the  English  out  of  that 
country  step  by  step,  till  nothing  remained  to  them  but  the 
castles  of  Stirling,  Dunbar,  and  Berwick.  At  last  Edward 
resolved  to  rouse  himself  and  his  people,  and  to  reduce 
Scotland  to  the  English  yoke  by  a  single  blow.  He  en- 
tered Scotland  at  the  head  of  the  largest  army  that  had 
ever  marched  out  of  England  ;  and,  arriving  on  the  24th 
of  June  within  three  miles  of  Stirling,  he  there  saw  the 
Scottish  army  drawn  up  on  the  banks  of  the  little  river 
Bannock. 

Bruce  had  only  been  able  to  muster  about  30,000  men 
to  oppose  the  immense  host  of  the  king  of  England,  but 
he  chose  his  position  with  great  judgment,  and  neglected 
nothing  that  could  facilitate  his  success.  He  placed  his 
army  on  a  rising  ground,  with  the  river  in  front,  and  a  bog 
3ii  one  side ;  and  to  make  the  approach  still  more  difficult, 
lie  caused  pits  to  be  dug,  and  filled  with  sharp  stakes,  and 
.he  tops  covered  over  and  concealed  by  turf  and  leaves. 

The  English  halted  for  the  night ;  and,  confident  in  their 
numbers,  and  despising  the  little  army  opposed  to  them, 
spent  the  night  in  feasting  and  merriment ;  while  the  Scots 
whose  very  existence  as  a  nation  depended  on  the  result 
of  the  coming  day,  passed  their  time  in  devotion,  and  in 
mutual  exhortations  to  conquer  nobly,  or  to  die.  The 
young  earl  of   Gloucester  the  king's   nephew,  who  corn- 


Did  Edward  II.  resent  Gaveston's  death  ? 

Did  Robert  Bruce  attack  the  English  in  Scotland  t 

How  did  Bruce  encounter  the  English  at  Bannockburn  ? 

Did  the  Scots  imitate  the  insecurity  of  the  English  at  Bannockburn  ? 


1'28  ENGLISH  HISTORX 

manded  the  cavalry,  was  the  first  to  advance  from  the 
English  army,  and  falling  into  one  of  the  covered  pita, 
was  the  first  to  die  on  that  disastrous  field. 

The  cavalry,  having  lost  its  leader,  was  thrown  into  con- 
fusion; and  being  attacked  by  sir  James  Douglas  was  put 
to  the  rout.  The  infantry  astonished  by  the  defeat  of  the 
cavalry,  and  mistaking  some  boys  and  wagoners  of  the 
Scottish  army,  who  were  furnished  with  banners,  for 
unother  army,  fled  without  striking  a  single  blow.  So 
great  was  the  panic  of  the  flying  multitude,  that  Edward 
found  it  impossible  to  rally  his  forces,  and  was  himself 
obliged  to  fly  to  avoid  being  taken  prisoner. 

The  number  of  the  slain  was  very  great,  and  would 
have  been  still  greater,  had  not  the  Scots  been  more  intent 
on  plundering  the  English  camp  than  on  pursuing  the 
fugitives,  who  had  eighty  miles  to  go  before  they  could 
reach  a  place  of  security.  And  thus  ended  the  battle  oi 
Bannockburn,  a  battle  which  established  Bruce  on  the 
throne  of  Scotland,  and  which  is  remembered  by  the  Eng- 
lish as  the  most  signal  overthow  they  have  sustained  since 
the  Conquest. 

When  Edward  returned  to  England  after  this  discom- 
fiture, he  found  his  power  more  curtailed  than  ever.  The 
country  was  torn  in  pieces  between  two  parties,  the  royal- 
ists, and  the  partizans  of  the  earl  of  Lancaster.  The  king, 
whose  infirm  mind  was  unable  to  support  itself  without 
the  prop  of  an  exclusive  favorite,  weakened  his  own  cause, 
and  drove  from  him  many  loyal  hearts,  by  the  injudicious 
choice  he  made  of  a  new  favorite,  a  Welsh  gentleman 
called  Hugh  Spenser,  a  man  of  an  insolent  temper  and  a 
rapacious  disposition.  The  king  loaded  Spenser  and  his 
father  with  honors  and  riches,  which  soon  made  them  as 
much  objects  of  jealousy  and  hatred  as  Gaveston  had  been. 

A  D  1  322  ^n  March  tne  earl  °f  Lancaster  was  ta- 
ken prisoner  at  Boroughbridge,  and  car- 
lied  to  Pontefract.     After  a  short  trial  he  was  condemned 


What  ivas  the   success  of  the  Scots  in  the   engagement  at   Bannook 
turn? 

Was  Brnce  established  on  the  Scottish  throne  I 
Who  became  the  favorite  of  the  king  of  England  1 
What  was  the  end  of  the  earl  of  1  ancaster  ? 


ENGLISH  HIST0R1  .  129 

to  death  ;  and  on  the  22d  of  March  this  once  powerful 
nobleman,  placed  on  a  miserable  horse,  and  clothed  in  a 
shabby  dress,  was  led  out  of  Pontefract,  which  had  been 
his  own  chief  place  of  residence,  and  taken  to  a  hill  near 
(he  town,  and  there  beheaded  with  the  same  circumstances 
of  savage  cruelty  which  had  taken  place  when  he  himseli 
put  Gaveston  to  death.  Eighteen  other  noblemen  were 
also  beheaded,  and  many  estates  were  forfeited  to  the  king 
most  of  which  he  bestowed  on  his  avaricious  favorite. 

A  n  iqo^  *n  *^s  year  a  cluarre^  arose  between  the 
'  two  kings  of  France  and  of  England, 
about  doing  homage  for  Guienne,  which  had  been  restored 
t'o  the  English  king.  Queen  Isabella  was  sent  to  accom 
modate  matters  between  her  husband  and  brother.  But 
she  cared  little  for  the  interest  of  her  husband,  and  at 
length  conspired  with  his  enemies. 

Isabella  collected  all  the  nobles  who  had  been  exiled  on 
account  of  Lancaster's  rebellion  ;  and  placing  one  of  them. 
Roger  Mortimer,  a  man  of  infamous  character,  at  the  head 
of  her  councils,  set  herself  up  in  rebellion  against  Edward 
The  Spensers  were  so  much  detested,  that,  out  of  hatred 
to  them,  many  nobles  joined  the  queen,  and  set  out  with  a 
numerous  army  in  pursuit  of  the  king. 

The  king,  abandoned  by  every  body,  fled  into  Wales,  in 
hopes  of  raising  in  army  there.  In  this  hope  he  was  dis- 
appointed ;  and  he  next  embarked  for  Ireland,  in  the  belief 
that  he  should  there  find  a  place  of  refuge :  but  being 
driven  about  by  adverse  winds  he  was  obliged  to  re-land. 
He  then  sought  to  conceal  himself  and  a  few  followers  in  the 
monastery  of  Neath  ;  but  his  retreat  was  soon  discovered ; 
and  Henry,  earl  of  Lancaster,  (son  to  the  earl  who  was  exe- 
cuted at  Pontefract,)  made  him  a  prisoner,  and  carried  him 
to  Kenilworth.  Both  the  Spensers  were  taken  with  the 
king,  and  fell  sacrifices  to  the  hatred  of  the  people. 

In  the  meantime,  the  King's  eldest  son,  Edward,  prince 
of  Wales,  a  boy  of  fourteen  years  old,  had  been  placed  by  his 


On  what  pretence  was  a  quarrel  excited  between  Trance  and  Eng 
land  in  1325  1 

Who  joined  queen  Isabella  in  rebellion  against  the  king  '(' 

Under  what  circumstance  was  Edward  II.  taken  prisoner  ? 

After  the  imprisonment  of  Edward  what  was  the  condition  ot  Eng- 
land? 


130  ENGLISH   HISTORV 

mother  and  Mortimer  at  the  head  of  the  rebel  army,  and 
had  been  declared  regent.  But  as  the  authority  he  pos- 
sessed was  a  mere  name,  the  kingdom  was  in  a  deplorable 
state.  There  was  nc  government,  the  courts  of  justice 
were  shut,  and  the  people  committed  all  kinds  of  violence 
without  control.  The  mobs  of  London  and  other  cities 
committed  robberies  and  murders  with  impunity,  and  were 
called  by  the  name  of  the  Riflers. 

The  queen  and  Mortimer  having  got  the  king  into  theii 
power,  declared  him  incapable  of  governing,  deposed  him 
and  proclaimed  the  prince  king  in  his  stead.  But  the 
prince  refused  to  be  king  in  his  father's  lifetime  without 
his  consent.  To  remove  this  scruple,  the  parliament  sent 
a  deputation  to  Kenil worth,  to  intimate  to  the  king  the  sen- 
tence of  his  deposition,  and  to  procure  his  consent  to  the 
coronation  of  his  son. 

As  soon  as  the  miserable  king  saw  the  deputies,  he 
fainted  ;  and  when  he  recovered,  and  was  told  their  errand, 
he  said  to  them  that  he  was  in  their  power,  and  must  submit 
to  their  will.  Judge  Trussel,  one  of  the  party,  then,  in  the 
name  of  the  people  of  England,  renounced  all  fealty  to  Ed- 
ward of  Carnarvon ;  and  sir  Thomas  Blount,  high  stew- 
ard, broke  his  staff,  and  declared  all  the  king's  officers 
discharged  from  their  service. 

Thus  ended  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Second,  a  period 
of  nearly  twenty  years  of  public  disgrace  and  private  ca- 
lamity. But  his  own  miseries  did  not  end  with  it.  After 
his  deposit!  3n  he  was  put  under  the  care  of  the  earl  of 
Lancaster  :  but  the  queen  and  Mortimer,  thinking  that 
Lancaster  treated  the  king  too  humanely,  removed  him  to 
the  custody  of  Lord  Berkeley,  John  de  Maltravers,  and 
sir  Thomas  Gournay,  who  were  to  keep  him  each  a  month 
by  turns. 

Lord  Berkeley  behaved  kindly  to  the  unfortunate  Ed- 
ward  ;  but  it  seems  as  if  the  other  two  were  desirous  to  kill 
him  by  ill-usage.  They  hurried  him  about  from  castle  to 
castle,  in  the  middle   of  the  night,  and  but  half  clothed. 


Who  demanded  the  coronation  of  the  prince  of  Wales  ? 

Did  the  king  submit  patiently  to  his  enemies  1 

Did  king  Edward's  miseries  terminate  with  the  loss  of  the  ciown 

What  indignities  were  offered  to  Edward  II.  during  his  imprisonment! 


ElNGLlSH  filSTOU*.  131 

One  day  Maltra\rers  ordered  him  to  lie  shaved  with  water 
out  of  a  dirty  ditch,  and  refused  to  let  him  have  any  other 
The  king  shed  tears  at  this  usage. 

These  varied  insults  and  cruelties  did  not  satisfy  the 
savage  hearts  of  the  queen  and  Mortimer,  who,  therefore, 
ordered  Gournay  and  Maltravers  to  despatch  him  without 
delay.  And  they,  taking  the  opportunity  of  Lord  Berkeley's 
absence,  murdered  the  king  at  Berkeley  castle,  with  cir- 
cumstances of  great  cruelty.  He  was  murdered  on  th»> 
21st  of  September,  1327,  in  the  forty-third  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  called  Edward  of  Carnarvon,  from  having  bctea 
born  there 


It  appears  from  the  historians  of  this  age  that  little  of 
the  present  refinement  of  the  English  nation  was  then 
known.  Froissart,  a  French  historian,  tells  us  in  his 
Chronicles,  that  "  the  English  were  so  proud  and  haughty, 
that  they  could  not  behave  to  the  people  of  other  nations 
with  civility."  Nor  does  he  give  a  more  favorable  account 
of  the  Scots  ;  for  he  says  of  them,  "  they  are  naturally 
fierce  and  unpolished,  and  in  Scotland  there  is  little  or  no 
politeness,  the  people  being  a  herd  of  savages,  envying 
the  riches  of  others,  and  tenacious  of  their  own  posses- 
sions." 

Erse  or  Gaelic  was  the  original  language  of  the  Scots  ; 
but  great  part  of  the  Lowlands  of  Scotland  being  conquer- 
ed by  the  Saxons,  about  the  time  when  they  made  them- 
selves masters  of  England,  the  Saxon  became  the  language 
of  that  part  of  the  country.  The  Saxon,  so  introduced 
into  Scotland,  continuing  afterwards  unmixed  with  the 
Norman,  remained  much  purer  there  than  in  England.  In 
England  there  arose,  in  different  districts,  so  great  a  dif 
ference  of'  dialect  and  pronunciation,  that  one  half  of  tin. 
kingdom  did  not  understand  the  other. 

The  domestic  manners  of  the  English  were  very  differ 
exit  in  the   fourteenth  century  from  those   of  our  ago 

At  whose  instigation  was  Edward  II.  murdered? 

What  says  the  historian  Froissart  of  the  English  and  Scots  of  tho  \it\\ 
oentury  ? 

What  was  the  language  of  the  British  at  that  time  ? 


132  ENGLISH   HIxTORV 

Though  famine  sometimes  followed  war,  and  the  neglect 
of  agriculture,  the  nobles  lived  gluttonously  and  wastefully 
This  extravagance  was  checked  at  one  time  by  interfer- 
ence of  the  king. 

Edward  the  Second  issued  a  proclamation  forbidding  (he 
people  of  his  realm  to  have  at  dinner  more  than  two  courses. 
4  Whereas,  by  the  outrageous  arid  excessive  multitude 
of  meats  and  dishes  which  the  great  men  of  our  kingdom 
have  used,  and  still  use  in  their  castles,  many  great  evils 
have  come  upon  our  kingdom,  the  health  of  our  subjects 
has  been  injured,  their  goods  consumed,"  &c.  &c. 

The  usual  hour  of  dinner  amongst  the  higher  classes 
was  eleven  o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  had  no  meal 
equivalent  to  our  tea  ;  but  early  in  the  evening  had  a  sup- 
per. And,  in  great  houses,  before  the  company  retired  to 
bed,  cakes  and  spiced  wines  were  handed  round. 

The  houses  of  the  nobility  had  commonly  some  sort  of 
garden  or  "  pleasance"  attached  to  them  ;  and  all  the 
monasteries  had  orchards  and  gardens,  including  a  "  her- 
berie,"  or  physic  garden,  the  chief  medicinal  nostrums  of 
the  times  being  preparations  from  herbs. 

We  do  not  hear  of  ornamental  gardening  till  many 
years  afterwards ;  and  the  list  of  culinary  vegatables  at 
this  time  cultivated  was  very  scanty,  there  being  few 
besides  carrots,  parsnips,  and  cabbages,  in  general  use 
There  was   then,  not  such  a  thing  as  a  potato  in  Europe. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

EDWARD  III. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1327— 1377. J 

Edward  III.,  at  the  commencement  of  his  reign,  nd 
bemg  more   than  fifteen  years  old,  was  only  a  tool  in  the 

Was  luxury  known  in  England  in  Edward  the  second's  time  ? 
How  were  mea.s  regu.ated  in  England  ? 
What  was  the  horticulture  of  England  in  the  14th  century  ? 
What  was  the   conduct  of  Isabella  and  Mortimer  after  the  death  of  Ed 
wi.rd  II.  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORV.  J  33 

nands  of  the  queen  and  Mortimer,  who  confiscated  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Spensers,  and  appropriated  it  to  their  own  pur- 
poses. They  caused  the  late  king's  brother,  the  earl  of 
Kent,  to  be  executed  under  a  false  charge  of  treason;  and 
by  their  revengeful  and  rapacious  conduct  made  themselves 
so  much  hated  by  the  people,  that  the  nation  would  soon 
have  been  thrown  into  internal  confusion,  had  not  a  foreign 
foe  appeared,  and  drawn  the  public  attention  to  a  more 
pressing  danger. 

Robert  Bruce  thought  this  a  favorable  tirne  to  retaliate 
on  the  English  the  sufferings  they  had  brought  on  Scot 
land,  and  began  hostilities  on  the  border.  Edward  im- 
mediately took  the  field  against  him,  and  though  no  impor- 
tant action  was  performed  on  either  side,  showed  Bruce 
that  he  had  roused  a  far  more  formidable  antagonist  than 
the  late  king  had  been.  Bruce  was  glad  to  put  a  stop  to 
the  war  by  entering  into  a  negotiation  with  the  queen  foi 
the  marriage  of  his  infant  son  with  her  daughter  Jane. 

A  D  1  328  Edward  married  Philippa  of  Hainault,  a 
queen  of  the  highest  and  most  irreproach- 
able character,  and  no  less  distinguished  for  her  sense 
and  intrepidity,  when  the  occasion  called  these  qualities 
forth,  than  for  her  benevolence  and  gentleness  to  all  whom 
she  could  benefit  by  her  kindness. 

Edward  also  is  esteemed  one  of  the  greatest  of  English 
kings,  though  he  has  been  more  commonly  admired  for 
his  bravery  and  military  skill  than  for  his  better  qualities. 
He  was  majestic  in  his  figure,  and  his  countenance  bore 
a  very  noble  expression.  His  address  was  pleasing ;  he 
was  well  versed  in  the  learning  of  his  time,  and  had 
an  excellent  understanding  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  his 
country,  all  the  powers  of  his  mind  were  early  engrossed 
by  one  ruinous  desire,  that  of  making  conquests. 

His  mother  had  had  three  brothers,  who  were  all  kings 
of  France  one  after  the  other,  and  who  all  died  leaving 
only  daughters.  There  is  a  law  in  France,  called  the 
Salique  law, which  excludes  daughters  from  inheritirg  tht 
srowii.    Consequently,  when  Charles,  the  last  of  the  three 

What  disposed  Edward  and  Robert  Bruce  to  make  peace? 

What  was  the  character  of  Philippa  of  Hainault .' 

What  was  the  character  of  Edward  III.  1 

Upon  what  account  did  Edward  III.  claim  the  throne  of  Franc*'? 


I '34  ENGLISH  HISTORV. 

brothers,  died,  Philip  of  Valois,  his  uncle's  s  hi,  became 
king,  as  being  the  next  male  heir.  But  Edward  affirmed 
himself  to  be  the  next  male  heir,  being  nephew  to  the  late 
king,  and  contended  that  though  his  mother,  according  to 
the  French  law,  could  not  be  queen,  still  he  might  be  king 
as  inheriting  through  her. 

But  before  Edward  could  be  master  of  France,  it  was 
necessary  for  him  to  shake  off  the  bondage  in  which  his 
mother  and  Mortimer  still  kept  him.  He  had  soon  an  op- 
portunity of  doing  this.  Isabella  and  Mortimer  (now  earl 
of  March)  resided  at  Nottingham  castle.  Edward,  by  the 
assistance  of  the  governor,  contrived  to  get  through  some 
subterranean  passages  into  an  apartment  where  Mortimer 
and  the  queen  were  ;  and  in  spite  of  the  entreaties  of  the 
queen,  who  called  upon  her  son  "  to  have  pity  on  the 
gentle  Mortimer,"  he  seized,  and  had  him  carried  away 
prisoner  to  Westminster.  Mortimer  was  soon  after  hanged 
on  a  gibbet  at  Tyburn.  The  queen-mother  was  deprived 
of  all  her  ill-gotten  riches,  and  was  confined  during  the 
remainder  of  her  life  a  sort  of  state  prisoner  at  Rising. 

A  D  1131  The  king  now  took  the  administration  of 
affairs  into  his  own  hands,  and  by  his  wise 
regulations  gave  early  proof  (for  he  was  very  young)  of 
his  great  capacity:  but  unhappily  his  love  of  war  soon  call- 
ed him  off  from  the  arts  of  peace.  He  renewed  hostilities 
with  Scotland,  where  David,  son  of  the  brave  Robert 
Bruce,  was  now  king,  a  child  of  only  seven  years  old. 

David  in  less  than  a  year  was  driven  from  the  throne 
his  father  had  so  hardly  won,  and  was  conveyed  into 
France  ;  and  the  son  of  John  Baliol  was  recalled  from  Lis 
retirement  and  made  king  of  Scotland,  if  king  he  could 
be  called,  who  was  only  a  tool  in  the  hands  of  Edward, 
and  who  was  placed  on  the  throne  and  displaced  from  it, 
as  the  party  of  the  English  or  of  The  Bruce  prevailed. 

At  last,  Edward, tired  of  this  unprofitable  war,  determin- 
ed to  abandon  it,  and  to  apply  all  his  strength  to  a  project 


How  did  Edward  punish  his  mother  and  Mortimer  ? 
How  did  Edward  manifest  his  disposition  for  wai  '{ 
What  happened  to  young  David  Bruce  ? 

When   did    Edward   prosecute   his   pretensions  to  cne   dominion    ol 
France  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  135 

he  had  long  harbored  against  France.  He  was  occupied 
during  two  years  in  raising  money  and  making  prepara- 
tions. In  1338  he  landed  with  an  army  at  Antwerp,  bul 
found  himself  unable  then  to  proceed.  In  1340  he  sailed 
again,  and  encountering  the  French  fleet  off  Sluys,  com 
pletely  defeated  it,  after  a  most  bloody  and  obstinate  fight. 

This  defeat  was  so  entirely  unexpected  on  the  part  ol 
die  French,  that  no  one  dared  to  tell  Philip  of  it,  till  at  last 
!t  was  hinted  to  him  by  his  jester,  who  said  in  his  hearing, 
"  Oh !  what  dastardly  cowards  those  English  are !" — "  How 
so  ?"  said  the  king.  "  Because,"  rejoined  the  jester, 
"they  did  not  jump  into  the  sea,  as  our  brave  men  have 
done."  The  king  then  demanded  an  explanation,  and 
heard  from  his  courtiers  the  whole  disastrous  story. 

\    F)    1  "MO      ^ter  l^e  vlctorY  °f  Sluys,  Edward  dis- 

"  '  '     embarked  his  men,  and  advanced  as  far 

as  Tournay  :  but  here  he  found  himself  obliged  to  make 
a  truce  with  Philip.  He  returned  to  England,  where  his 
absence  had  produced  many  inconveniences.  He  was  at 
this  time  involved  in  great  difficulties.  All  his  allies  de- 
serted him  :  he  had  drained  the  country  of  money,  and 
was  obliged  to  pawn  the  crown,  and  even  the  queen's 
jewels. 

A   D   134fi     Nothing  could  divert  this  warlike  prince 
'     '  '    from  his   inordinate  ambition  to  possess 

himself  of  the  crown  of  France ;  and  he  continued  to  make 
many  unavailing  attempts  on  that  country.  At  last,  suc- 
cess seemed  likely  to  crown  his  efforts.  He  landed  at  La 
Hogue  in  Normandy  on  the  12th  of  July,  with  an  army 
of  thirty-two  thousand  men,  in  which  was  his  eldest  son, 
who  has  been  called  the  Black  Prince  ;  so  called,  it  is 
supposed  from  the  color  of  his  armor. 

Philip,  hearing  of  this  invasion  of  the  English,  assembled 
a  large  army  to  oppose  them,  and,  breaking  down  all  the 
bridges  as  he  passed,  came  in  sight  of  them  on  the  banks 
•)f  the  Seine,  near  Rouen.     The  two  armies  marched  foT 


Who  inf nmed  the  king  of  France  of  the  defeat  of  his  fleet  ? 
Did  any  misfortunes  result  from  Edward's  attempt  on  France  ? 
When  did  the  king  of  England  renew  the  war  with  France  ? 
What  hindered  the  king  of  Enr'and  from   coming  to  battle  with    tht 
French  tioops  on  the  Seine  ? 


130  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

some  time  on  opposite  sides  of  the  river ;  the  English  on  the 
left  or  western,  the  French  on  the  right  or  eastern  side. 
Edward  wished  to  crossover,  but  could  not,  on  account  of 
the  bridges  being  broken.  At  last  he  contrived  to  cross  by 
means  of  a  stratagem.  He  made  preparations  for  repair- 
ing the  bridge  at  Poissy,  and  then  suddenly  decamped  a* 
if  to  inarch  further  up  the  river. 

The  French  also  set  off  in  the  same  direction,  which 
Edward  no  sooner  perceived,  than  he  hastily  turned  back 
to  Poissy,  and  repairing  the  bridge  with  the  utmost  expe- 
dition, crossed  over  it,  and  turned  off  towards  Flanders, 
while  the  French  were  keeping  along  the  side  of  the  river. 
But  when  he  reached  the  banks  of  the  Somme  he  found 
himself  in  a  still  worse  dilemma.  Here  also  the  bridges 
had  been  destroyed,  and  Gondemar  de  Faye  was  on  the  op- 
posite side  to  prevent  his  crossing,  and  the  king  of  France 
was  behind  him  with  100,000  men. 

Edward  offered  a  hundred  marks  to  any  one  who  would 
show  him  a  ford,  and  a  peasant  was  tempted  by  the  pro- 
mised reward  to  point  out  a  place  atBlanchetaque,  between 
Abbeville  and  the  sea,  where  it  was  possible  to  cross  at 
low  water.  Edward  first  plunged  into  the  water,  calling 
out,  "  Let  him  who  loves  me  follow."  The  whole  army 
instantly  followed,  and  before  Philip  could  arrive  at  the 
same  place,  the  rising  of  the  tide  made  it  impossible  for 
him  to  cross  over,  and  obliged  him  to  go  round  by  Abbe 
ville. 

Edward,  after  he  had  crossed  the  ford,  surprised  Gon- 
demar and  defeated  him ;  and  the  next  day,  the  5th  of  Au- 
gust, had  time  to  post  himself  in  an  advantageous  position 
on  the  plain  of  Cressy,  before  Philip  and  his  army  came 
up  with  him. 

It  was  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  Philip's 
advanced  troops  came  up  with  the  English,  and  the  battle 
soon  became  general.  At  the  first  onset,  the  part  where 
the  Prince  of  Wales  was  posted,  was  furiously  beset:  and 


What  retarded  the  English  troops  at  the  passage  of  the  Somme  ? 
How  were  the  English  enabled  to  cross  the  Somme  'I 
Where  did  the  English  king  finally  post  his  army  ? 
How  did  the  king  of  England  regard  the  Black  Prince  a'  tht  hattlo  oi 
Cressy  * 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  137 

ihe  king,  who  had  taken  his  station  on  the  top  of  a  wind 
mill,  from  whence  he  could  overlook  the  whole  field,  was 
importuned  to  go  to  his  succor ;  but  he  refused,  saying 
"  He  would  not  deprive  his  son,  and  those  who  were  with 
him,  of  the  honor  of  the  victory." 

These  words  being  repeated  to  the  prince  and  his  com- 
panions, inspired  them  with  extraordinary  courage.  After 
righting  till  the  close  of  the  evening,  the  French  army  was 
completely  discomfited.  The  king  fled,  accompanied  by 
only  five  knights  and  about  sixty  soldiers,  leaving  on  that 
bloody  field  eighty  bannerets,  and  forty  thousand  dead  and 
dying  men. 

When  the  battle  was  over,  Edward  rushed  io  his  son, 
and  embraced  him  with  great  affection,  while  the  prince 
fell  on  his  knees  before  his  father,  and  craved  his  blessing 
Edward  stayed  three  days  at  Cressy  to  bury  the  dead,  and 
then  marched  to  Calais,  with  the  intention  of  laying  siege 
to  it ;  but,  finding  it  too  strong  to  take  by  storm,  he  deter- 
mined to  subdue  it  by  famine.  He  stationed  his  fleet  di- 
rectly opposite  the  harbor,  and  built  huts  for  his  soldiers 
all  around  the  town,  so  as  completely  to  invest  it,  and  pre- 
vent it  from  getting  assistance  either  by  land  or  sea.  He 
ihen  sat  down  patiently  waiting  the  result. 

John  de  Vienne,  the  governor,  seeing  himself  shut  out 
from  all  succor,  determined  to  hold  out  to  the  utmost,  in 
hopes  that  Edward's  patience  would  be  tired,  and  that  he 
would  raise  the  siege.  And,  to  make  the  provisions  that 
were  in  the  town  last  the  longer,  he  turned  seventeen  hun- 
dred old  people,  women,  and  children  out  of  it.  When  Ed- 
ward saw  all  these  forlorn  wretches  thrust  out  from  Calais, 
and  the  gates  locked  upon  them,  he  had  compassion  on 
them,  and  gave  them  food  and  money,  and  let  them  pass 
through  his  army  in  safety. 

After  the  siege  had  lasted  eleven  months,  the  garrison 
were  in  so  much  distress  for  want  of  food,  that  they  were 
induced  to  eat  horses,  dogs,  and  cats,  till  even  this  failed. 


How  did  the  battle  of  Cressy  terminate? 
In  what  manner  did  the  English  attack  Calais  ? 
Did  the  hard-hearted  Edward  ever  manifest  compassion  ? 
On  what  unworthy  conditions   did  the  king  of  England  cfti'-r  saocor 
'li  the  citizens  of  Calais  ( 


133  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

and  John  de  Vienne  found  himself  obliged  to  capitulate 
Edward  agreed,  after  some  hesitation,  that  on  condition 
that  six  of  their  principal  citizens  should  come  to  him 
barefooted,  with  ropes  about  their  necks,  and  bring  him 
the  keys  of  the  town,  he  would  spare  the  lives  of  the  rest 

The  people  of  Calais  were  greatly  distressed,  when  they 
heard  the  terms  the  king  of  England  insisted  on.  While 
they  were  deliberating  on  what  was  to  be  done,  Eustace  de 
Pierre,  one  of  the  richest  merchants  of  the  town,  offered 
himself  as  the  first  of  the  six  victims.  His  example  in- 
spired five  others  with  equal  courage,  and  after  a  sorrowful 
parting  with  their  friends  (for  they  all  expected  to  be  hung) 
they  appeared  before  Edward. 

The  king  affected,  for  it  is  supposed  he  was  not  in  ear- 
nest, to  be  so  much  enraged  against  the  people  of  Calais 
for  holding  out  so  long  against  him,  that  he  ordered  these 
six  men  to  be  executed.  Queen  Philippa  then  fell  on  her 
knees  before  him,  and  besought  him  to  pardon  them. 

A  T)  I'M  7  ^ne  king  granted  the  queen's  request 
and  she  had  the  citizens  of  Calias  con- 
ducted to  her  apartment,  where  she  entertained  them  hon- 
orably, and  sent  back  to  the  town,  bestowing  on  them  rich 
presents.  Edward  took  possession  of  Calais  on  the  4th  of 
August,  and  turning  out  all  the  old  inhabitants,  peopled  it 
entirely  with  his  own  subjects. 

The  extreme  cruelty  of  Edward's  conductto  the  people 
of  Calais,  and  the  folly  and  selfishness  of  his  invasion  of 
France,  demonstrate  the  inhumanity  and  vain  glory  of  mil- 
itary renown,  and  the  superior  wisdom  of  those  who  aim 
at  the  improvement,  and  not  the  aggrandizement  of  a  coun- 
try. Edward  would  have  shown  himself  more  wise  and 
virtuous,  had  he  remained  in  England,  and  promoted  the 
welfare  of  his  subjects  at  home. 


What  example  of  greatness  of  soul  was  exhibited  by  Eustace  de  Pierre 
,     the  surrender  of  Calais  ? 

Who  interposed  in  behalf  of  the  citizens  of  Calais  ? 

How  did  Edwaid  HI.  eventually  treat  the  inhabitants  of  Calais  ? 

Which  is  the  wiser  policy  of  statesmen,  to  promote  the  improvement? 
of  a  nation  within  itself,  o>  to  extend  its  physical  power  by  foreign  con 
jueats? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  139 

While  these  things  had  been  going  on  in  France,  David 
Biuce  had  been  recalled  to  Scotland,  and  took  the  opportu- 
nity of  Edward's  absence  to  invade  England.  But  queen 
Philippa  acted  with  such  vigor,  that  an  army  was  speedily 
raised,  and  he  was  taken  prisoner  near  Durham,  and  after- 
wards brought  to  the  Tower  of  London.  The  queen  has 
tened  over  to  France  to  carry  this  good  news  to  Edward, 
and  had  arrived  just  before  the  surrender  of  Calais. 

Edward's  successes  in  France  were  suspended  for  the 
next  six  years  by  a  pestilence  ;  so  terrible  as  to  be  called 
the  Black  death,  which  raged  throughout  Europe,  and 
proved  a  greater  scourge  to  the  people  than  even  the  ca- 
lamities of  war. 

A   r>   iQ*n     Philip  de  Valois  died,  and  was  succeeded 
A.  U.  uou.    by  hig  gon  John>     And  in  1352  the  ani- 

mosity  between  the  French  and  English  revived  with  such 
fury,  "that  neither  the  pestilence,  nor  the  truces  which  had 
been  made  (but  ill  kept,)  could  restrain  them  from  renew- 
ing hostilities.  The  English  had  generally  the  advantage, 
and  during  the  next  four  years  greatly  extended  their  ter- 
ritories in  France. 

Of  those  who  distinguished  themselves  in  these  wars 
none  surpassed  the  Black  Prince.  On  the  6th  of  July, 
1356,  he  marched  from  Bordeaux  with  an  army  of  12,000 
men,  and  after  taking  and  burning  many  towns  and  vil- 
lages, he  encamped  on  the  17th  of  September  within  two 
leagues  of  Poitiers.  The  same  eveningthe  king  of  France 
with  an  army  of  60,000  men,  encamped  within  a  mile  of 
the  prince,  who,  when  he  saw  the  French  army  advance 
thus  unexpectedly  upon  him,  exclaimed,  "  God  help  us  ! 
it  only  remains  for  us  to  fight  bravely." 

The  cardinal  of  Perigord,  who  was  with  the  French  ar- 
my, was  very  desirous  to  prevent  an  engagement,  and  rode 
baokwards  and  forwards  several  times  between  John  and 


By  whose  energetic  and  useful  interference  was  David  Bru^e  made 
prisoner  ? 

What  greater  calamity  than  war  afflicted  Europe  in  the  middle  of  the 
1 4th  century. 

When  did  the  war  between  England  and  France  break  out  ? 

With  what  army  did  the  king  of  France  meet  the  English  forces  ? 

What  instance  of  moderation  was  exhibited  by  the  Black  Prince  liefon- 
he  battle  of  Po" tiers  ? 


140  ENGLISH   HISTOK*. 

the  prince,  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  make  peace.  The 
prince  said  to  him,  "  Save  my  honor,  and  the  honor  of  my 
army,  and  I  will  readily  listen  to  any  reasonable  condi- 
tions." 

John  would  consent  to  nothing,  unless  the  prince  and  a 
hundred  of  his  knights  would  surrender  themselves  pris- 
oners of  war.  The  reply  of  the  prince  to  this  was,  that 
"he  would  never  be  made  a  prisoner  but  with  sword  in 
hand."  The  cardinal,  finding  his  endeavors  unavailing, 
retired  to  Poitiers,  and  the  two  armies  made  themselves 
ready  for  battle.  The  next  day,  Monday,  the  19th  of  Sep- 
tember, the  prince  drew  up  his  army  in  excellent  order, 
and  riding  along  the  lines,  exhorted  his  men  to  fight  va- 
liantly ;  saying  that  he  himself  was  resolved  that  England 
should  never  have  to  pay  a  ranson  for  him. 

The  king  of  France  formed  his  army  in  three  divisions, 
but  after  engaging  with  the  English  and  suffering  great 
toss,  the  commanders  of  two  divisions,  misapprehending 
their  danger,  fled  precipitately  from  the  field  of  battle. 
Thus  were  two-thirds  of  the  French  army  conquered  more 
by  their  own  fears  than  by  the  arms  of  the  enemy. 

The  king's  division,  meanwhile,  which  was  alone  much 
superior  in  numbers  to  the  whole  English  army,  resolutely 
maintained  its  ground.  The  English,  encouraged  by  see- 
ing victory  within  their  grasp,  and  the  French,  perceiving 
that  it  was  now  necessary  for  them  to  exert  their  utmost 
valor,  fought  desperately ;  but  at  length,  three  of  the 
French  generals  being  killed,  the  cavalry  gave  way,  and 
the  king,  who  had  shown  great  personal  bravery,  was  left 
towards  the  end  of  the  day  with  a  few  followers  on  the 
field  of  battle  ;  and  being  surrounded  by  English  and  Gas- 
cons, he  and  his  youngest  son  were  taken  prisoners. 

The  Black  Prince,  being  overpowered  by  excessive  fa 
tigue,  had  at  this  time  been  persuaded  to  take  some  rest 
in  a  little  tent    On  being  informed  that  John  had  been  tak- 


How  did  the  Bla  ;k  Prince  prepare  his  army  for  the  encounter  with  the 
■"rench  ? 
What  happened  to  two  divisions  of  the  French  army  ? 
What  misfortune  overtor  k  the  king  of  France  ? 
Didlhe  Black  Prince  bear  his  victory  with  moderation  ? 


ENGLISH   IIISTOK.V.  141 

en  prisoner,  lie  sent  the  earl  of  Warwick  to  conduct  the 
royal  prisoner  to  his  tent.  The  king  was  surrounded  by 
soldiers  who  were  clamorously  disputing  for  the  possession 
of  him,  when  the  earl  arrived,  and  rescuing  him  from  their 
turbulence,  led  him  to  the  prince,  who  received  him  with 
every  mark  of  respect  and  sympathy. 

The  prince  soon  ordered  a  magnificent  supper  to  be 
served  up,  and  would  not  sit  in  king  John's  presence,  but 
stood  behind  his  chair,  trying  to  soothe  and  comfort  him. 
The  king,  much  affected  by  this  generous  treatment,  burst 
into  tears,  and  declared,  that  though  it  was  his  fate  to  be  a 
captive  he  rejoiced  that  he  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
'.he  most  generous  and  valiant  prince  alive. 

\  T)  1  ^fi  '"^ie  ^oss  °^  ^ie  French  in  this  battle  was 
very  great.  Besides  those  who  were  tak- 
en prisoners,  there  were  above  6000  men  at  arms  left 
dead  on  the  field.  The  prince,  after  returning  thanks  to 
God  for  the  victory,  praised  his  troops  for  their  conduct, 
and  gave  rewards  and  dignities  to  those  who  had  more 
particularly  distinguished  themselves.  He  remained  at 
Bordeaux  till  the  24th  of  the  following  April,  when  he  sail- 
ed with  his  royal  prisoners  to  England. 

On  the  approach  of  the  victorious  prince  and  his  distin 
guished  prisoners  to  London,  they  were  met  by  a  train  of  a 
thousand  citizens  in  their  best  array,  who  conducted  them 
with  great  state  to  Westminster.  The  Black  Prince,  in  a 
plain  dress,  and  on  a  little  palfrey,  rode  by  the  side  of  the 
king  of  France,  who  was  clad  in  royal  robes,  and  mounted 
on  a  beautiful  horse.  When  they  arrived  at  Westminster, 
king  Edward  met  them,  and  embraced  the  captive  king 
with  every  mark  of  respect  and  affection. 

The  French  king  and  his  son  were  treated,  during  the 
three  years  they  remained  in  England,  more  like  visiters 
than  prisoners.  Edward  had  now  two  captive  monarchs 
in  his  lungdDm :  but  on  the  3d  of  October  David  Bruce 
regained  his  liberty,  and  returned  to  Scotland,  after  a  cap- 
tivity of  eleven  years 


How  did  the  Black  Prince  treat  king  John  ? 

How  did  the  Black  Prince  conduct  himself  towards  his  army,  aril  when 
ji,l  he  return  to  England  ? 
What  was  the  reception  of  the  Black  Prince  in  England  ' 
Whiiih  two  kings  were  prisoners  in  England  ? 


142  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

France  was  thrown  into  the  greatest  confusio  1  by  the 
misfortune  of  her  king.  The  dauphin  was  appointed  re- 
gent; and  the  necessities  of  the  country  were  so  great  that 
he  was  obliged  to  enter  into  a  treaty  with  Edward,  by 
which  he  gave  up  to  him  in  full  sovereignty  a  large  tract, 
containing  several  provinces,  to  which  Edward's  town  of 
Bordeaux  formed  a  sort  of  capital. 

John's  ranson  was  fixed  at  three  millions  of  gold  crowns, 
and  forty  noblemen  were  to  be  sent  over  to  England  ap 
hostages  till  the  money  should  be  paid.  This  treaty,  aftei 
many  tedious  negotiations, was  at  last  completed.  Edward 
accompanied  John  to  Calais,  and  the  two  kings,  with 
many  expressions  of  affection  and  regard,  parted  on  the 
24th  of  October,  1360. 

Edward  then  returned  to  England,  after  bestowing  all 
his  newly  acquired  French  provinces  on  the  Black  Prince, 
who  went  to  hold  his  court  at  Bordeaux  with  the  Princess 
Joan  his  wife,  the  beautiful  daughter  and  heiress  of  the 
sari  of  Kent.  She  had  before  been  married  to  Sir  John 
Holland,  by  wrhom  she  had  two  sons. 

A  D  1  "364  ^e  ^u^e  °^  ^njou,  one  °f  t^le  hostages 
for  the  payment  of  John's  ranson,  having 
escaped,  and  the  dauphin  making  some  difficulty  in  fulfill- 
ing the  articles  of  the  late  treaty,"  John,  who  felt  that  by 
this  breach  of  faith  his  own  honor  was  impeached,  return- 
ed to  England  to  put  himself  again  in  Edward's  hands  ; 
and,  falling  ill  of  a  fever,  he  died  at  the  palace  of  the  Sa- 
voy early  in  the  year  1364. 

The  Black  Phi  ce  is  among  the  chief  favorites  of  tho 
English  nation.  His  warlike  qualities  and  achievements 
are  accounted  the  glory  of  his  times.  But  the  wars  in  which 
he  engaged  were  not  just,  therefore  we  can  only  admire  the 
qualities  of  his  heart.  These  would  have  adorned  any  con- 
dition of  life,  and  would  have  induced  good  and  great  enter- 
prises if  he  had  lived  in  a  better  age,  and  had  he  been  brul 


"What  became  the  capital  of  the  English  possessions  in  France  ? 

When  did  John  return  to  France  '( 

When  did  king  Edward  return  to  England? 

Where  did  the  king  of  France  die  ? 

How  ought  the  character  of  the  Black  Prince  to  be  regarded  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  143 

to  the  services  of  peace  instead  of  the  unhappy  profession 
of  arms. 

After  having  made  himself  lord  of  a  considerable  por- 
tion of  France,  the  Black  Prince  engaged  in  the  affairs  of 
Spain.  Pedro  the  Cruel,  and  his  half-brother,  Henry  01 
Trastamare,  contended  for  the  throne  of  Spain.  Pedro's 
was  the  hereditary  right,  and  Henry  was  the  better  man, 
and  more  desirable  king.  Pedro  implored  the  assistance 
of  the  Black  Pnnce  and  he  heartily  engaged  in  the  cause 
of  the  dethroned  monarch,  and,  accompanied  by  his  broth- 
er John  of  Gaunt,  duke  of  Lancaster,  marched  an  army 
of  30,000  men  into  Spain. 

Henry  of  Trastamare  met  them  with  a  force  of  more 
than  100,000  men;  and  the  battle  of  Najara  was  fought 
between  these  two  unequal  armies  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1 367.  In  this  battle  the  skill  and  valor  of  the  prince  and 
his  well-disciplined  troops  overthrew  the  immense  host  of 
Spain ;  and,  against  the  wishes  and  endeavors  of  the 
whole  nation,  replaced  a  hated  tyrant  on  the  throne. 

Pedro  no  sooner  found  himself  thus  re-established,  than 
he  forgot  his  obligations  to  the  Black  Prince,  and  treated 
him  with  great  ingratitude.  Many  of  the  English  soldiers 
fell  victims  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  climate  :  the  health 
of  the  prince  also  suffered  exceedingly,  and,  in  great  dis- 
gust at  the  conduct  of  Pedro,  he  returned  with  the  shat- 
tered remains  of  his  army  to  Bordeaux. 

Henry  of  Trastamare,  as  soon  as  he  knew  that  the  Eng- 
lish had  withdrawn  from  Spain,  returned  there,  and,  by 
the  assistance  of  the  king  of  France,  attacked  and  defeat- 
ed Pedro  in  a  pitched  battle,  and  slew  him  with  his  own 
hand.  Henry  then  peaceably  ascended  the  throne,  and 
the  two  daughters  of  Pedro  fled  to  Bordeaux,  and  again 
claimed  the  protection  of  the  Prince  of  Wales. 

These  two  princesses  soon  after  married  two  of  the  Eng- 
lish princes,  the  third  and  fourth  sons  of  king  Edward 
Constantia,  the  eldest,  married  John  of  Gaunt,  whose  first 


In  the  cause  of  what  Spanish  prince  did  the  Black  Prince  engage  ? 
Did  the  Black  Prince  serve  a  good  or  a  bad  cause  in  Spain  1 
W  hat  were  the  unhappy   consequences  of  the  Spanish    enterprise  tc 
f  English  army  ? 

What  was  the  end  of  Pedro  the  cruel  ? 
Who  Tiarried  the  laughters  of  Pedro  ? 


144  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

wife  had  been  daughter  and  heiress  of  the  eail  of  Lancas- 
ter. Isabella,  the  other  sister,  married  Edward,  duke  of 
York.  The  duke  of  Lancaster  immediately  on  his  mar- 
riage assumed,  in  right  of  his  wife,  the  title  of  king  of 
Castile. 

The  Black  Prince,  from  the  time  of  his  return  from 
Spain,  became  subject  to  continual  ill  health.  After  some 
months  of  constant  suffering,  he  became  unable  from  weak- 
ness, to  mount  his  horse,  and  was  obliged  to  give  up  the 
command  of  his  army.  From  this  time  the  power  of  Eng- 
land on  the  continent  declined;  every  expedition  was  unsuc- 
cessful, and  the  fleet  suffered  a  signal  defeat  off  Rochfort. 

The  prince  returned  to  England,  as  a  last  hope,  for  the 
recovery  of  his  health  ;  but  after  lingering  some  time,  he 
died  on  the  8th  of  June,  1376,  in  the  forty-seventh  year  of 
his  age.  His  death  was  felt  throughout  England,  both  as 
a  private  and  as  a  public  loss.  And  though  the  parlia- 
ment was  at  thattime  much  displeased  with  the  king  on  the 
subject  of  raising  subsidies,  it  expressed  the  utmost  sympa- 
thy in  his  grief  at  his  son's  death,  and  showed  its  respect 
for  the  memory  of  the  prince  by  attending  his  remains  to 
Canterbury,  where  his  monument  is  still  to  be  seen. 

The  loss  of  his  son,  broke  the  heart  of  the  old  king,  who 
did  not  long  survive  him,  and  died  at  his  palace  at  Shene, 
June  1,  1377,  in  the  sixty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  fifty- 
first  of  his  reign.  Queen  Philippa  is  mentioned  by  all 
historians  in  the  highest  terms  of  praise.  She  and  Edward 
lived  together  in  uninterrupted  harmony  forty-two  years. 

Their  sons  were  :  Edward  the  Black  Prince  ;  Lionel, 
duke  of  Clarence,  who  died  in  1368,  leaving  an  only  daugh- 
ter, married  to  Edmund  Mortimer,  earl  of  March ;  John 
of  Gaunt ;  Edmund,  duke  of  York,  married  Isabella  of 
Castile,  by  whom  he  had  Richard,  who  married  his  cousin 
Arme  Mortimer,  and  was  the  father  of  Richard  duke  of 
York  ;  Thomas  of  Woodstock,  duke  of  Gloucester ;  and 


Fiom  what  time  did  the  Black  Prince  decline  in  health,  and  what 
v\  as  the  state  of  the  English  power  abroad  ? 

When  did  the  Black  Prince  die,  and  what  effect  was  produced  ty  hia 
death  ? 

Did  Edward  III.  long  survive  his  son,  and  how  long  did  he  live  aftt-r 
his  marriage  ? 

Who  were  the  children  of  Edward  III.  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  145 

three  other  sens,  who  died  young,  and  four  daughters 
"The  five  sons  of  Edward  HI.  were  all  made  dukes  by 
their  father.  They  were  the  first  persons  who  bore  that 
title  in  England.  The  Black  Prince  was  the  first  d  ike  of 
Cornwall. 


Edward  III.  founded  the  order  of  the  Knights  of  the 
Garter.  He  rebuilt  and  enlarged  the  castle  of  Windsor. 
He  also  rebuilt  St.  Stephen's  chapel  at  Westminster,  where 
the  house  of  commons  held  its  assemblies  till  1 834,  when 
it  was  consumed  by  fire.  Its  first  assemblies  were  held  in 
the  chapter-house  at  Westminster. 

The  di\  ision  of  the  house  of  parliament  into  lords  and 
commons,  the  exact  commencement  of  wrhich  is  not 
known,  was  thoroughly  established  in  this  reign. 

The  laws  and  statutes  were  in  this  reign  commanded  to 
be  written  in  English,  having  been  written  in  Norman 
French  ever  since  the  Conquest. 

It  has  been  supposed  that  Edward  owed  the  first  of  his 
victories  to  he  use  of  gunpowder,  which  was  first  used, 


What  order  of  knights  was  founded  by  Edward  III.  ? 
What  edifices  were  built  in  this  reign  ? 
What  was  thoroughly  established  in  this  reign  ? 
When  were  English  laws  first  written  in  the  English  language  ? 
When  was  gunpowder  first  used  ly    he  English,  and  by  whom  was  it 
\ u  ented  T 


146 


ENGLISH   HI8T0RV. 


it  is  said,  in  war,  in  the  battle  of  Cressy.  Gunpowdci 
was  first  invented  by  Friar,  Bacon,  as  some;  say,  though 
Schwartz,  a  German,  also  claims  the  merit  of  the  dis 
covery 

Among  the  customs  of  European  courts  and  great  fam- 
ilies was  that  of  keeping  a  professed  jester.  Kings  ard 
nobles  amongst  the  number  of  their  attendants,  had  one 
whose  business  it  was  to  play  the  fool,  and  who  was  pri- 
vileged to  say  or  do  any  thing  that  was  ridiculous  for  the 
sake  of  diverting  those  about  him. 

The  fool's  dress  was  motley;  that  is,  made  of  different 
colors.  He  also  wore  a  cap  made  with  two  great  ears,  to 
resemble  asses'  ears,  and  he  had  little  sheep-bells  fastened 
to  different  parts  of  his  dress. 

All  the  diversions  of  the  English,  whatever  they  may  be 
now,  were  formerly  of  a  noisy  and  tumultuous  kind. 
When  a  nobleman  opened  his  castle  to  his  guests,  on  occa- 
sions of  public  festivity,  the  courts  and  halls  were  crowded 
with  minstrels,  mimics,  jugglers,  and  tumblers  :  and  there 
was  a  confusion  and  mixture  of  feasting,  drinking,  dancing, 
singing,  tumbling,  and  buffoonery,  which  would  appear 
very  disreputable  now  in  any  nobleman's  mansion. 

There  was  not  at  that  time  a  playhouse  in  the  whole 
kingdom.  Jugglers,  &c.  used  to  travel  about  the  country, 
and,  when  they  were  not  received  into  private  houses,  they 
exhibited  their  tricks  in  carts  in  the  open  streets.  The 
streets  used  then  to  be  scenes  of  great  gaiety;  for  we  are 
told  that  the  servants  of  the  citizens  of  London  were  ac- 
customed on  summer  evenings  to  dance  before  their  mas- 
ters' doors. 

Queens  and  persons  of  high  rank  were  occasionally  con- 
veyed in  horse-litters.  These  litters  were  like  a  bedstead 
fastened  by  shafts  before  and  behind  to  two  horses.  Over 
the  litter  there  was  a  canopy  held,  supported  on  four  long 
poles,  each  pole  carried  by  a  man  on  foot ;  so  that  this  mole 
nf  travelling  was  not  a  very  expeditious  one. 


Who  were  professed  jesters  and  how  did  they  dress  ? 
How  did  the  English  divert  themselves  in  the  14th  century? 
Were  there  houses  for  jugglers,  &c.  to  exhibit  in? 
What  carriages  were  ased  by  people  of  rank  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
HI.? 


F.NCUsH  HISTORY.  147 


CIJAPTER    XVII. 

RICHARD  H. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1377     1399.] 

Uichard  of  Bordeaux  was  the  only  surviving  child  of 
lulward  the  Black  Prince,  and  was  proclaimed  king  on  the 
death  of  his  grandfather.  There  was  no  regent  appointed ; 
but  the  young  king's  three  uncles  took  the  direction  of  af- 
fairs upon  themselves.  John  of  Gaunt,  the  eldest  of  the 
three  had  a  high  spirit,  and  great  ambition.  Being  a  man 
of  activity  and  exertion,  he  had  had,  even  in  his  father's 
lifetime,  great  authority  in  the  state.  The  duke  of  York 
was  well  meaning  but  indolent,  and  of  slender  capacity. 
The  duke  of  Gloucester  was  turbulent,  bold  and  meddling; 
but  John  being  the  oldest,  had  the  chief  sway  in  their  coun- 
cils. Yet  he  soon  showed  himself  ill  qualified  to  be  the 
leader  of  affairs,  and  plunged  the  country  into  great  dis- 
tresses by  several  unprofitable  expeditions  both  into  France 
and  Scotland. 

A  D  l*}ftl  ^  poll-tax  of  a  shilling  a  head,  levied 
on  all  persons  throughout  the  kingdom 
above  the  age  of  fifteen,  raised  the  discontents  of  the  lower 
orders  of  the  people  to  the  greatest  pitch.  This  tax  was 
very  oppressive  in  that  age,  when  a  shilling  would  buy  ten 
times  as  much  food  as  it  will  now  buy,  and  was  therefore 
equal  to  ten  shillings  at  present,  and  very  few  poor  people 
could  earn  a  shilling. 

One  of  the  persons  employed  to  collect  this  tax  having 
been  killed  in  a  quarrel  with  a  tyler  at  Deptford,  called 
Walter,  a  crowd  collected  ;  and  from  this  small  beginning 
a  serious  disturbance  broke  forth.  Wat  Tyler,  as  he  is 
called,  took  upon  himself  the  command  of  the  insurgents 
and  sent  messages  into  the  neighboring  counties,  inviting 


Who  was  Richard  II.,  ami  who  were  directors  of  English  affairs  dur 
ing  his  minority  ? 

What  tax  was  levied  upon  lie  English  people  in  1381,  and  why  wts 
it  very  oppressive  ? 

Who  instigated  the  opprosseJ  :  eople  to  rebellion  7 


148  ENGLISH  HISTJRY. 

the  common  people  to  join  together,  to  shake  off  the  yoke 
of  servitude,  and  to  take  vengeance  on  their  oppressive 
masters.  . 

The  people  willingly  obeyed  the  summons,  and  leaving 
their  employments,  hastened  to  Blackheath,  the  place  o( 
rendezvous,  burning  the  houses  and  plundering  the  estates 
of  the  nobility  and  gentry  as  they  passed.  The  mob, 
when  assembled  at  Blackheath  amounted  to  300,000  men. 
Wat  Tyler  and  another  man,  called  from  his  business  as 
a  thresher,  Jack  Straw,  were  appointed  leaders,  and  they 
all  set  off  towards  London.  The  king's  uncles  were  absent 
from  the  kingdom ;  and  this  insurrection  was  so  sudden, 
that  no  preparations  had  been  made  for  checking  it.  The 
king,  with  his  mother,  and  a  small  number  of  the  nobility, 
took  refuge  in  the  Tower  of  London, 

It  is  needless  to  repeat  all  the  violences  of  this  mob,  but 
it  is  but  justice  to  the  courage  of  the  young  king  to  relate 
that  he  determined  to  meet  these  enraged  people  and  hear 
their  grievances.  The  next  day,  June  the  14th,  the  king, 
with  a  few  unarmed  attendants,  left  the  tower,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  appointed  place,  where  he  found  about 
60,000  persons  assembled.  The  king,  in  a  gentle  manner, 
asked  them  what  they  wanted.  They  replied,  "  they 
wanted  the  freedom  of  themselves  and  children." 

The  king  promised  that  their  desire  should  be  granted, 
and  that,  if  they  would  return  to  their  homes,  he  would 
give  them  charters  for  their  freedom.  Immediately  thirty 
clerks  were  set  to  work  to  write  these  charters,  which 
were  given  to  all  who  demanded  them,  and  immediately 
the  mob  dispersed,  and  every  one  returned  peaceably  and 
contentedly  to  his  home. 

The  freedom  for  which  they  asked  was,  probably,  ex- 
emption from  certain  services  to  the  superior  classes,  and 
from  the  slavery  from  which  the  people  of  England  were 
not  then  entirely  exempted. 

In  the  meantime  Wat  Tyler,  with  Jack  Straw,  and  the 
most  desperate  of  the  party,  instead  of  gcing  with  the 

How  did  the  insurants  proceed  ? 

Did  Richard  manfully  meet  the  insurgents  ? 

Did  the  king  satisfy  the  insurgents  ? 

What  was  the  freedom  which  the  English  people  demanded  I 

Did  all  the  insurgents  meet  Richard  II.  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  149 

others  to  meet  the  king  at  Mile-End,  had  broken  in;o  the 
Tower  of  London,  and  murdered  the  archbishop  of  Can 
terbury,  the  lord  chancellor,  and  many  other  persons 
whom  they  found  there.  Their  design  was  to  seize  on  the 
voung  king,  to  murder  all  the  nobility,  and  to  plunder  and 
then  burn  London. 

On  the  following  day,  June  15,  these  desperate  men 
were  stopped  in  their  mad  career.  The  king  was  passing 
through  Smithfield,  attended  by  the  lord  mayor  and  about 
sixty  horsemen.  Wat  Tyler  met  them  with  20,000  of 
the  insurgents,  and,  riding  up  to  the  king,  behaved  with 
so  much  audacity,  that  Walworth,  the  mayor,  unable  to 
endure  the  sight  of  this  clown's  insolence  to  his  sovereign, 
drew  his  sword,  and  felled  him  to  the  ground  with  a  blow- 

The  rioters  seemed  for  a  moment  stunned  with  surprise 
by  the  loss  of  their  leader ;  and  before  they  had  time  to 
recover  themselves,  the  young  king,  with  astonishing  pre- 
sence of  mind,  rode  up  to  them,  and  said  :  "  My  friends, 
be  not  concerned  for  the  loss  of  your  unworthy  leader  •[ 
will  be  your  leader."  And  turning  his  horse,  he  rode 
into  the  open  fields  at  the  head  of  the  multitude,  who 
seemed  to  follow  him  unconciously,  and  without  knowing 
why. 

A  cry,  meanwhile,  had  arisen  in  the  city,  that  the  king 
had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  rebels,  and  instantly  some 
thousands  of  brave  men  flew  to  his  rescue.  When  they 
appeared,  the  mob,  seized  with  a  panic,  fell  on  their  knees 
before  him,  imploring  his  pardon,  which  he  granted  them, 
on  condition  that  they  dispersed  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
This  they  all  did  :  and  thus  the  insurrection  melted  away, 
like  snow  in  a  sudden  thaw. 

Richard's  conduct  during  this  disturbance  naturally  led 
his  people  to  imagine  that  he  had  inherited  the  courage 
and  vigor  of  mind  of  the  Plantagenets :  but  the  fair  pro- 
mise which  he  had  thu's  given  was  soon  blighted.  He  be- 
trayed, as  he  advanced  in  age,  a  weakness  and  frivolity 
which  made  him  totally  unfit  for  the  government  of  a 
kingdom. 

What  happened  at  Smithfield,  June  15th,  1381  ? 

What  admirable  presence  of  mind  was  exhibited  by  Richard  II.  f 

What  was  the  end  of  the  insurrection  ? 

Did  Richard  II.  sustain  the  character  he  manifested  in  his  youth  ? 


150  ENGLISH   HISTORT. 

Richard's  person  was  extraordinarily  beautiful  :  he 
taved  pomp  and  show,  hated  business,  and  was  very  fie  kie 
When  the  ferment  of  the  insurrection  was  over,  and  the 
country  was  restored  to  tranquillity,  he  revoked  all  tin- 
charters  of  freedom  which  he  had  given,  and  compelled 
the  bond-tenants  to  return  to  their  state  of  villainage,  and 
perform  all  their  accustomed  services  to  their  lords. 

During  the  next  five  years  nothing  material  occurred, 
and  the  chief  business  of  the  parliament  was  to  keep  a 
check  on  the  duke  of  Lancaster  who  wanted  to  drain  Eng- 
land of  men  and  money  to  prosecute  the  claim  on  the 
crown  of  Castile  which  he  possessed  in  right  of  his  wife, 
the  daughter  of  Pedro  the  Cruel.  It  was  long  before  he 
could  prevail  on  the  parliament  to  grant  the  necessary 
supplies. 

AD  1  *3Sf  Lancaster  raised  a  large  army,  and. 
taking  the  duchess  and  his  three  daugh- 
ters with  him,  sailed  for  Spain.  He  landed  at  Corunna, 
and  his  troops  were  suffered  to  overrun  the  province  of 
Gailicia  without  much  opposition  ;  for  the  king  of  Castile, 
who  was  son  of  Henry  of  Trastamare,  trusting  that  the 
same  causes  would  destroy  the  forces  of  the  duke  of  Lan- 
caster which  had  formerly  been  so  fatal  to  those  of  the 
Black  Prince,  avoided  meeting  him  in  the  field. 

This  enterprise  did  not  obtain  the  crown  of  Castile, 
but  after  much  fruitless  fighting,  Lancaster  withdrew  his 
claim,  and  married  one  of  his  daughters  to  the  king  of 
Portugal,  and  another  to  the  prince  royal  of  Castile,  the 
son  of  Henry  Trastamare.  The  duke  was  well  pleased 
at  having  thus  secured  the  crown  to  his  posterity,  and  re- 
turned to  England  in  1389. 

During  the  three  years  of  Lancaster's  absence,  Richard, 
by  his  abuse  of  the  royal  power  in  displacing  the  officers 
of  the  government,  and  putting  in  their  places  his  own  idle 
favorites,  had  made  himself  exceedingly  unpopular.  The 
parliament  had  also  made  great  stretches  of  power ;  had 


From  1381  to  1386,  whai  occurred  in  England  ? 

What   army,  for  the  conquest  of   Castiie,  was   raised  by    John  ol 
Gaunt  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  Lancaster's  expedition  ? 
Did  Richard  II.  lose  kis  popularity  with  the  English  nation  7 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  161 

condemned  and  imprisoned  one  of  the  king's  chief  favor- 
ites, Michael  de  la  Pole,  earl  of  Suffolk,  and  obliged  the 
king  to  sign  a  commission  of  regency  to  fourteen  noble- 
men, thus  divesting  himself  of  all  authority. 

The  duke  of  Gloucester  was  at  the  head  of  the  party 
against  his  nephew,  and,  not  contented  with  reducing  him 
to  be  a  mere  cypher,  determined  to  destroy  every  friend 
that  remained  to  him.  Richard,  though  he  had  assem- 
bled around  him  so  many  vicious  characters,  still  preser- 
ved his  respect  for  sir  Simon  Burleigh,  a  good  and  venera- 
ble old  man,  who  had  been  appointed  his  tutor  by  the 
Black  Prince  by  whom  he  had  been  greatly  esteemed. 

Neither  that  circumstance,  nor  Burleigh's  age  and  vir- 
tue, could  preserve  him  from  the  malice  of  Gloucester,  who 
procured  his  condemnation  on  a  pretended  charge  of  high 
treason.  And  though  the  queen,  Anne  of  Bohemia,  re- 
mained on  her  knees  three  hours  before  the  inexorable 
Gloucester,  entreating  for  his  life,  he  was  executed  as  a 
common  traitor.  De  la  Pole  and  a  few  others  saved  their 
lives  by  a  timely  flight.  The  rest  of  the  king's  favorites 
were  put  to  death. 

A  "D  1 3R8  ^n  ^s  ^  ear  was  f°llont  tne  Datt^e  °f  Ot- 
terburn,  between  the  English  and  Scots, 
in  which  Lord  Douglas  was  killed,  and  Henry  Percy,  bet- 
ter known  as  Harry  Hotspur,  was  taken  prisoner.  It  was 
an  engagement  of  no  material  consequence,  but  Shaks- 
peare  has  made  it  celebrated. 

After  a  quiet  submission  of  about  a  year  and  a  half  to  his 
uncle's  tyranny,  Richard  suddenly  roused  himself  into  ex- 
ertion, and  asserted  his  own  right  to  hold  the  reins  of  go- 
vernment. Pie  took  the  great  seal  from  archbishop 
Arundel,  a  creature  of  the  duke  of  Gloucester,  and  gave  it. 
to  William  of  Wykeham,  and  acted  with  so  much  sense 
and  vigor,  that  Gloucester,  and  his  party  were  thunder- 
struck, and  relinquished  their  assumed  authority.  The 
duke,  however, was  not  of  a  character  to  submit  patiently: 


Who   plotted   the    destruction  of   Richard,  and  who   was   Kia  biMt 
friend  ? 

How  was  sir  Simon  Burleigh  treated  1 

What  battle  was  fought  by  the  English  in  1388  ? 

Oid  Richard  ever  act  with  energy  ? 


152  EN3LISH  HISTORY. 

ind  though  the  king  conferred  on  him  grants  of  immense 
value,  in  hopes  to  purchase  his  friendship,  was  continual- 
ly engaged  in  factious  schemes. 

Gloucester  at  length  retired  to  his  castle  of  Pleshy,  in 
Essex,  where  frequent  meetings  were  held  by  the  discon- 
tented nobles.  The  king  hearing  that  his  uncle  had  a  de- 
sign of  seizing  his  person,  determined  to  be  beforehand 
with  him,  and  caused  him  to  be  seized  by  surprise,  and 
conveyed  to  Calais.  His  chief  associates,  the  earls  of 
Warwick  and  Arundel,  were  committed  prisoners  to  the 
Tower.  The  duke  of  Gloucester  was  then  accused  of 
high  treason,  and  a  parliament  was  summoned  at  West- 
minster, Sept.  17th,  1397,  to  proceed  on  his  trial. 

When  the  day  of  trial  arrived,  the  governor  of  Calais 
was  summoned  to  produce  his  prison :  but  instead  of 
producing  him,  he  sent  word  that  Gloucester  had  died  in 
prison.  The  exact  particulars  of  his  death  were  never 
known  ;  but  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  was 
murdered  by  the  king's  orders.  The  king  is  supposed  to 
have  acted  on  this  occasion  by  the  advice,  advice  he  lived 
bitterly  to  rue,  of  the  earl  of  St.  Paul,  a  French  gentle- 
man. 

The  following  year  a  quarrel  arose  between  Henry  Bo- 
lingbroke,  John  of  Gaunt's  only  son,  and  the  duke  of  Nor- 
folk. It  seems  that  the  duke  had  spoken  of  the  king  as 
having  instigated  the  murder  of  Gloucester  ;  and  that  Bo- 
lingbroke,  indignant  at  the  charge,  took  it  up  as  a  person- 
al offence.  Richard,  whose  guilty  conscience  did  not 
dare  to  have  the  matter  openly  discussed  in  a  court  of  jus- 
tice, adjudged  it  to  be  determined  by  a  single  combat, 
which  was  to  be  fought  between  Norfolk  and  Bolingbroke, 
on  Sept.  16th,  1398,  at  Coventry. 

The  nobles  and  the  parliament  were  already  assembled 
to  see  the  fight,  and  the  combatants  had  entered  the  lists, 
when  the  king  forbade  them  to  engage,  and  banished  Hen- 


How  did  the  king  proceed  against  the  duke  of  Gloucester? 
What  became  of  the  duke  of  Gloucester  ? 

What  dispute  arose  between  Henry  Bolingbroke  and  the  duie  of  Nor 
folk? 
How  was  the  quarrel  of  Bclingbroke  ordered  to  be  settled  I 
How  was  the  quarrel  of  Bolingoroke  conc.uded  1 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  153 

ry  Bolingbroke  for  ten  years,  and  the  duke  of  Norfolk  for 
life  ;  who  both  left  the  kingdom  highly  dissatisfied  with 
the  sentence. 

It  is  apparent  by  this  arbitrary  sentence  of  banishment, 
without  any  offence  against  the  laws  being  proved,  by  the 
trial  by  combat,  and  many  executions  upon  frivolous  pre- 
tences, that  life  was  held  cheap,  and  that  the  will  of  the 
prince  was  superior  to  law  in  England  in  this  rude  age. 

A  T)  1  *399  **°kn  °f  Gaunt  died,  and  Richard  seized 
on  all  his  great  estates.  Bolingbroke 
was  at  the  court  of  France  when  he  was  informed  of  this 
injustice  done  to  him.  He  resolved  immediately  to  reclaim 
his  rights ;  anl  oeing  assisted  with  ships  and  soldiers  by 
the  duke  of  Bretagne,  he  came  over  to  England,  and  land- 
ed July  4,  1399,  at  Ravensburgh,  a  town  in  Yorkshire, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  H umber,  which  has  been  long  washed 
away  by  the  encroachments  of  the  sea.  The  king  was  at 
that  time  in  Ireland,  where  he  had  taken  a  considerable 
force,  for  the  purpose  of  quelling  an  insurrection,  and  his 
uncle  the  duke  of  York,  was  left  regent  during  his  absence 

It  is  probable  that  when  Bolingbroke  first  landed,  he 
had  no  view  beyond  that  of  getting  back  his  inheritance  : 
but  finding  himself  joined  by  the  earls  of  Northumberland 
and  Westmoreland,  and  by  other  powerful  noblemen,  he 
soon  began  to  entertain  designs  upon  the  throne  itself.  The 
duke  of  York  was  preparing  on  the  king's  part  to  make 
resistance  ;  but  he  too  being  persuaded  by  Bolingbroke, 
in  an  interview  which  he  had  with  him  at  Bristol,  that  he 
was  only  come  to  claim  his  own  inheritance,  joined  him 
with  the  forces  under  his  command. 

Richard  himself  soon  after  landed  at  Milford  Haven,  and 
finding  that  his  uncle,  instead  of  having  an  army  ready  for 
his  service,  had  gone  over  to  the  party  of  Bolingbroke 
retired  with  a  few  friends  to  Conway.  After  some  short 
negotiations,  he  imprudently  agreed  to  a  personal  confer- 
ence with  his  cousin  at  Flint  Castle  :  but  as  he  was  on  hiss 


Was  law  or  the  will  of  princes  more  powerful  in  the  fourteenth  cen 
cury  1 

When  did  John  of  Gaunt  die,  and  what  course  was  taken  by  his 
*cn  ? 

What  part  did  the  duke  of  York  take  in  regard  to  his  nephew*  ? 

How  did  Henry  Bolingbroke  treat  Richard  IJ  ? 


154  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

way  theie  with  a  few  attendants,  he  was  met  by  Doling 
broke,  who  conveyed  him  to  London,  and  sent  him  pris 
oner  to  the  Tower. 

Bolingbroke  at  first  told  the  king  he  only  intended  to 
assist  him  to  the  government  of  the  kingdom  ;  but  as  soon 
as  he  found  him  completely  in  his  power,  he  openly  de- 
clared his  own  design  upon  the  crown,  and  obliged  him  to 
sign  a  paper  containing  his  resignation  of  the  kingdom. 
This  paper  was  read  before  the  parliament,  and  approved 
of  by  them.  A  list  of  crimes  and  errors  of  which  the  king 
had  been  guilty  was  read,  and  he  was  then  declared  sol- 
emnly deposed  ;  and  the  archbishops  of  York  and  Canter- 
bury led  Bolingbroke  to  the  empty  throne,  and  placed  him 
on  it. 

Richard  was  conveyed  a  prisoner  to  Pontefract  Castle, 
and  there,  it  is  supposed,  was  put  to  death  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1400.  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age 
and  the  twenty-fourth  of  his  reign.  He  married,  first, 
A.nne  of  Bohemia;  and,  secondly,  Isabella  of  France,  and 
loft  no  children. 


In  this  reign  the  reformation  of  religion  made  seme  ad- 
vances. It  has  already  been  told  that  the  Catholic  reli- 
gion was  the  Christianity  of  England.  It  continued  to  be 
so  till  what  is  called  the  Reformation  took  place  in  the 
sixteenth  century.  John  Wickliffe,  a  priest  who  held  the 
living  of  Lutterworth,  in  Leicestershire,  became  known, 
in  the  latter  end  of  Edward  the  Third's  reign,  by  a  con- 
troversy with  the  begging  friars.  He  afterwards  attacked 
the  corruptions  of  the  whole  body  of  the  monastic  clergy ; 
and  though  he  might  not,  perhaps,  be  the  first  who  discov- 
ered the  fallacy  of  many  of  the  doctrines  of  the  church  ol 
Rome,  he  was  the  first  who  dared  to  invegh  against  them 
publicly. 


Did  the  English  parliament  repose  Richard  II.  ? 
Where  did  Richard  die  . 

Whit  was  the  state  of  religion  in  England  during  the  reign  of  fiief 
ard  11  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  155 

During  WicklifTe's  life  no  positive  step  was  taken  to 
bring  about  the  reformation  of  the  church ;  yet  he  pre- 
pared the  way  for  that  which  afterwards  followed,  by 
awakening  the  people  to  the  conviction  that  the  Romish 
church  had  gone  far  astray  from  the  purity  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion.  Till  the  time  of  Wickliffe,  there  were  none 
but  Latin  bibles,  which  were  only  to  be  found  in  posses- 
sion of  the  priests  ;  so  that  the  mass  of  the  people  were 
kept  in  total  ignorance  of  the  scriptures. 

A  D  "nRO  Wickliffe  undertook  and  completed*  a 
translation  of  the  bible  into  English 
This,  though  highly  acceptable  to  the  laity  in  general,  was 
universally  disapproved  of  by  the  bishops,  and  all  who 
were  attached  to  the  Roman  church;  and  a  bill  was 
brought  into  the  house  of  lords  to  suppress  the  English 
translation.  But  the  bill  was  rejected,  in  consequence  of 
the  warm  remonstrance  of  John  of  Gaunt,  who  concluded 
by  saying,  "  We  will  not  be  the  dregs  of  all,  seeing  that 
other  nations  have  the  law  of  God,  which  is  the  law  of  our 
faith,  written  in  their  own  language." 

Wickliffe  was  not  the  first  who  crave  the  English  a  trans- 
lation  of  the  bible.  The  old  Saxon  bishop  Adhelm  trans- 
lated the  book  of  Psalms  into  Saxon  in  the  year  706.  The 
venerable  Bede  also  made  a  translation  of  the  whole  Bible ; 
but  when  the  popes  began  to  rule  the  affairs  of  the  Eng- 
lish church,  none  but  Latin  bibles  were  allowed  to  be 
used,  in  order  to  keep  the  people  in  ignorance,  and  that  the 
priests  and  monks  might  make  them  believe  what  they 
pleased.  The  followers  of  Wickliffe  were  called  Lollards, 
a  name  given  them  by  their  adversaries  out  of  derision. 

It  was  mentioned  that  the  mob  in  the  time  of  Richard  II. 
destroyed  the  Temple.  The  Temple  is  the  name  of  a  build- 
ing that  was  once  a  monastic  house,  belonging  to  the 
Knights  Templars,  an  order  of  monkish  knights,  who 
instead  of  living  in  monasteries,  and  wearing  cowls,  put  on 
armor,  and  devoted  themselves  to  the  protection  of  those 
who  went  on  pilgrimages  to  the  Holy  Land.     They  also 


What  influence  had  Wickli.Te  upon  the  people  of  England  ? 
How  was  WicklifTe's  translation  of  the  bible  regarded  ? 
Was  WicklifTe's  transition  the  first  English  bible? 
What  was  the  Temple  and  who  were  the  Knights  Templarn 


156  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

look  on  themselves  the  vow  of  celibacy,  and  observed 
other  monastic  rules. 

This  order  was  after  a  time  dissolved ;  and  Edward  the 
Third  granted  their  house,  which  from  them  was  called 
the  Temple,  to  the  students  of  the  common  law,  by  whom 
it  is  still  inhabited.  The  Temple  church,  built  by  the 
Templars,  after  the  model  of  that  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
is  one  of  the  most  curious  in  London,  as  well  on  account  ol 
its  antiquity  and  architecture,  as  for  the  monuments  it 
contains  of  the  old  knights. 

The  begging  friars  were  people  who,  because  our  Sa- 
viour and  the  apostles  avoided  worldly  riches  and  honors, 
pretended  to  imitate  them  by  going  about  begging ;  and 
who  seemed  to  think  that  poverty  and  beggary  were  the 
essence  of  religion. 

The  exceedingly  ferocious  manners  of  the  age  are  strik- 
ingly exemplified  in  the  following  anecdote.  King  Richard 
marched  into  the  north  in  1385  to  check  an  incursion  of 
the  Scots,  and  halted  some  days  at  Beverley  by  the  way. 
His  army  was  too  numerous  to  be  lodged  in  the  town,  and 
part  was,  therefore,  dispersed  in  the  neighboring  villages. 
A  poor  German  knight  who  was  one  of  those  who  were  so 
dispersed,  was  looking  for  a  lodging,  and  trying,  in  very 
bad  English,  to  make  himself  understood. 

A  squire  belonging  to  the  king's  half  brother,  Sir  John 
Holland,  began  to  abuse  the  poor  German,  and  laughed  at 
him ;  but  an  archer  of  sir  Ralph  Stafford's  took  part  with 
the  German,  and  shot  the  squire.  When  sir  John  Hol- 
land heard  of  his  squire's  death,  he  made  a  vow  that  he 
would  neither  eat  nor  drink  till  he  had  killed  the  German 
knight,  the  innocent  cause  of  the  affray  ;  and  riding  fu- 
riously about  the  lanes  in  search  of  him,  till  it  was  dark, 
he  met  sir  Ralph  Stafford  in  a  narrow  lane,  and  struck  at 
him  with  his  sword  as  he  passed.  The  blow  was  fatal ; 
but  sir  John  Holland  rode  on,  without  knowing  perhaps  at 
'.he  moment  whom  he  had  killed. 


What  building  in  London  is  now  called  the  Temple  ? 
Who  were  the  begging  friars  ? 

What  disregard  of  life,  and  rudeness,  are  illustrated  in  a  circunistar ■■>* 
which  or.curred  in  1385  ? 
By  whom  was  sir  Ralph  Stafford  killed  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  157 

"When  men  in  that  age  had  committed  crimes  ihey  fled 
to  a  church,  and  there  they  could  not  be  taken,  because 
the  law  forbade  to  violate  the  sanctuary.  This  afforded 
impunity  to  many  violent  acts.  Sir  John  Holland  would 
have  been  hanged  for  the  murder,  had  he  not  taken  refuge 
in  the  sanctuary  of  St.  John  of  Beverley.  The  kingwa.« 
exceedingly  angry  with  him,  and  refused  to  pardon  him ; 
and  his  mother,  the  widow  of  the  Black  Prince,  was  so 
miserable  that  she  died  of  grief.  Holland  afterwards  ob- 
tained the  king's  pardon,  and  was  made  duke  of  Exeter, 
and  married  John  of  G aunt's  youngest  daughter. 

Though  the  preceding  instance  exhibits  lawless  and  in- 
human manners,  the  history  of  that  age  will  show  that  vir- 
tuous men  manifested  themselves  in  the  midst  of  crime. 
The  following  example  of  self-discipline  is  extraordinary, 
and  is  a  proper  sequel  to  the  anecdote  of  sir  John  Holland : 
Sir  Ralph  was  a  very  accomplished  young  man,  and  the 
only  son  of  an  old  lord  Stafford,  who  was  then  with  the 
royal  army.  Lord  Stafford,  as  soon  as  he  had  recovered 
from  the  first  burst  of  grief  at  his  son's  shocking  murder, 
went  to  the  king  and  told  him,  that  as  he  was  on  his  road 
to  fight  the  Scots,  he  would  not  let  his  grief  prevent  him 
from  serving  his  country  in  the  hour  of  need.  "  And," 
added  he,  "  during  this  expedition,  I  shall  not  think  of  my 
affliction :  for  I  like  not  that  the  Scots  be  rejoiced  at  the 
misery  of  the  earl  of  Stafford." 

The  afflicted  old  man  accordingly  accompanied  the 
army  into  Scotland,  and  performed  all  the  duties  of  a  sol- 
dier and  commander,  as  if  he  had  had  a  heart  free  from 
sorrow  :  but  as  soon  as  the  expedition  had  ended,  he  went 
to  the  Holy  Land,  on  account  of  his  son's  death,  and  did 
not  live  to  return 


The  fourteenth  century,  in  relation  to  England,  was  h 


Why  was  not  sir  John  Holland  punished  for  killing  sir  R.  Sta/ 
»rd? 

Did  many  virtues  flourish  among  the  crimes  of  the  fourteenth  ccn 
tury? 

How  did  lord  Stafford  bear  his  son's  murder,  and  where  did  he  die  ? 

What  was  the  intellectual  character  of  the  fourteenth  centurv  in  Ei)£- 
had  ? 


158  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

period  of  ignorance,  slavery,  and  superstition  ;  but  igno- 
rance in  tnis  period  obviously  gave  way  to  progressive 
knowledge  ;  slavery  to  political  liberty  ;  and  superstition 
to  the  influences  of  true  religion. 

A  great  improvement  in  the  English  language  was  at- 
tained in  this  century.  The  language  used  under  the 
Saxons  in  England  was  the  Anglo-Saxon ;  that  introduced 
by  the  Normans  and  afterwards  extensively  written  and 
spoken,  was  the  Norman  French ;  and  that  used  in  the 
prayers  of  the  churches  was  the  Latin.  Anglo-Saxon, 
Norman,  and  Latin  make  up  the  present  English. 

The  first  histories  and  poems  known  in  England  were 
written  in  these  primitive  languages,  but  in  the  latter  end 
of  the  fourteenth  century  there  had  been  formed  a  proper 
English  language.  The  laws  were  written  in  it,  the  scrip- 
tures were  also  translated  into  it,  and  poetry  was  written 
m  English. 

Liberty  of  thought  is  a  right  which  all  men  have,  to  ex- 
amine, each  for  himself,  what  is  right  and  wrong,  and 
what  is  true  or  false.  Most  persons  believe  what  those 
who  are  older  than  themselves  say ;  but  when  we  are  grown 
to  be  men  and  women,  it  is  proper  to  inquire  what  is  right 
and  wrong,  true  and  false,  as  if  we  had  never  been  inform- 
ed, and  then  each  man  will  gain  wisdom  for  himself. 

In  mde  ages,  poor  and  very  ignorant  people  are  not  al- 
lowed to  determine  what  is  right  and  wrong,  and  what  is 
true  and  ialse — the  powerful  determine  for  them.  Thus  it 
was  in  the  fourteenth  century.  The  barons  told  their  vas- 
sals they  had  no  rights  of  their  own,  and  the  priests  told 
all  people  they  could  not  understand  the  scriptures  without 
their  explanations,  and  the  vassals  and  people  submitted. 

But  in  that  very  age,  liberty  of  thought  began  to  assert 
itself ;  the  poor  people  said,  We  are  men  and  not  brutes— 
we  ought  not  to  be  bought  and  sold  like  cattle  ;  and  Wick- 
KfFe  and  his  followers  said  to  the  people,  The  Roman  Ca 


What  was  the  progress  of  language  in  England  ? 
What  was  first  written  in  English  ? 
What  is  liberty  of  thought,  and  how  should  it  be  used  ! 
Who   restrained  the  poor  people  of  England   from   improving   their 
Tiinds  ? 
How  are  the  poor  gradually  enlightened  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  159 

iholic  priests  deceive  you — you  can  understand  the  Scrip- 
tures if  you  will  read  them.  You  must  be  taught  to  read. 
Here  is  the  bible  in  your  own  English  language. 

Those  who  claimed  freedom  from  Richard  II.  only  de- 
manded their  natural  rights.  They  exerted  natural  and 
political  liberty  not  knowu  before  in  England.  WicklilTe 
demanded  a  still  more  valuable  liberty — the  liberty  to  seek 
and  to  declare  truth,  which  makes  men  free  from  igno- 
rance and  prejudice. 

The  poets  of  this  age  were  reformers,  and  enlightened 
men.  The  first  poem  of  any  considerable  length  in  the 
English  language  was  written  by  Robert  Langlande,  a 
priest.  It  describes  the  Christain  life,  and  the  abuses  of 
religion  under  the  popes.  Geoffrey  Chaucer  was  another 
poet  of  that  age  who  reproved  the  vices  of  the  clergy. 

John  of  Gaunt,  though  he  undertook  some  unjust  wars, 
was  a  great  man,  a  lover  of  religious  freedom,  and  a  com- 
panion of  wise  men  :  he  honored  Wickliffe,  and  was  the 
friend  of  Chaucer.  He  married  for  his  last  wife,  Catha- 
rine Swynford,  the  sister-in-law  of  Chaucer.  Chaucer  is 
called  the  father  of  English  poetry — he  died  in  1400. 


What  were  the  just  demands  of  the  English  people  during  the  reipn  of 
itichard  II.  ? 
Who  were   he  English  poets  ? 
Wo;)  John  of  Gaunt  an  enlightened  man  ? 


160  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

CHAPTER    XTI1I 

HENRY  IV. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1399—1413. 


Rustics  of  the  Ibth  century. 

.Henry  IV.,  only  a  few  months  before  lie  obtained  the 
crown,  was  wandering  about,  a  banished  man,  in  a  for- 
eign land.  His  success  was  the  more  surprising,  because 
lie  had  no  personal  qualities,  except  the  kingly  quality 
of  courage,  to  attach  the  people  to  him.  Nor  had  he, 
even  after  Richard,  the  next  right  of  inheritance  ;  for  the 
undoubted  heir  was  Edmund  Mortimer,  earl  of  March, 
whose  grandmother  was  daughter  of  Lionel,  duke  of  Clar- 
ence, elder  brother  of  John  of  Gaunt.  Mortimer  was  at 
this  time  a  child  of  seven  years  old :  and  though  the  par- 
liament passed  him  by,  and  settled  the  crown  on  Boling- 
broke  and  his  heirs,  yet  Henry  thought  him  too  dangerous 
a  rival  to  be  at  large,  and  kept  him  a  prisoner  at  Windsor. 

The  king  himself  was  in  no  enviable  condition.  His 
life  was  made  miserable  by  continual  apprehensions  of  plots 

Was  Henry  IV.  the  hereditary  successor  to  the  crown  of  England  ? 
"Wlnt  disturbed  the  tranquility  of  Henry  IV.,  and  how  did  his  rcigi; 
commence  1 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  1G1 

and  conspiracies,  apprehensions  not  without  cause.  He 
had  possessed  the  crown  only  a  few  months,  when  a  dan- 
gerous conspiracy  against  him  was  entered  into  by  sonir; 
nobles  attached  to  Richard,  which  soon  after  broke  out 
into  an  open  war ,  but  a  division  ensuing  between  the 
leaders  of  the  party,  it  was  soon  and  easily  crushed.  All 
the  nobles  who  were  taken  in  arms  were  beheaded,  and 
thus  a  bloody  beginning  was  made  to  this  distracted  reign. 

In  the  year  1401,  the  king  had  a  very  narrow  escape. 
One  night  he  perceived  concealed  in  his  bead,  just  as  he 
was  stepping  into  it,  a  steel  instrument  with  three  sharp 
points,  which  would  either  have  killed  him,  or  wounded 
him  severely,  had  he  lain  down  on  it.  The  author  of  this 
attempt  was  never  discovered. 

Besides  his  secret  enemies,  Henry  had  a  formidable 
open  foe  in  Owen  Glendower,  a  Welsh  gentleman  of  high 
spirit  and  courage.  Glendower  proclaimed  himself  prince 
of  Wales,  and  his  countrymen  crowded  to  his  standard. 
Favored  by  the  mountainous  nature  of  the  country,  he 
was  able  to  maintain  himself  for  seven  years  against  all 
the  endeavors  of  Henry  to  subdue  him,  and  frequently 
made  incursions  into  the  English  border,  and  plundered 
and  killed  the  inhabitants. 

a    D    1 4flr>      Tne  Scots  commanded  by  earl  Douglas, 

A.  u.  i4U,,.  entere(i  England  with  10,000  men.  They 
were  defeated  at  Homildon  Hill  by  the  earl  of  Northum- 
berland and  his  son,  Henry  Hotspur.  Douglas,  with 
many  others,  was  taken.  Immediately  on  the  news  of 
this  victory,  Henry  sent  to  prohibit  Northumberland 
from  ransoming  any  of  the  prisoners  ;  a  command  the 
Percies  resented  violently,  and  the  more  to,  as  it  was 
chiefly  by  their  means  that  Henry  had  been  enabled  to 
ascend  the  throne. 

Northumberland,  with  his  brother  the  earl  of  Westmore- 
land, and  his  son  Hotspur,  in  talking  over  this  business 
together,  more  and  more  inflamed  their  mutual  resent- 
ments ;  and  Hotspur,  who  had  that  name  from  his  fiery 
temper, — urged  on  Ms  father  and  uncle  till  they  resolved 


Were  any  attempts  made  to  kill  Henry  IV.  ? 

Who  rebelled  against  Henry  in  Wales  ? 

What  occurred  in  1402  ? 

With  vhom  did  the  Percies  conspire  against  Henry  IV.  ? 


162  ENGXSH   HISTORY. 

to  dethrone  Henry.  To  strengthen  their  cause,  they  gar«? 
Doughs  his  liberty,  and  engaged  him  to  assist  their  enter- 
prise. They  also  admitted  Glendower  into  their  confed- 
eracy who  undertook  to  join  them  on  the  borders  of 
Wales,  with  1  0,000  men. 

A  D  1403  Douglas  and  Hotspur,  leaving  Northum- 
berland to  follow  him  with  the  main 
army,  reached  Shrewsbury  early  in  July,  but  before  they 
could  be  joined  by  Glendower  the  king's  army  approached; 
and  on  the  morning  of  July  21,  the  great  battle  of  Shrews- 
bury was  fought.  The  king  commanded  the  main  body 
of  his  army,  and  displayed  the  utmost  prudence  as  a  gen- 
eral, and  courage  as  a  soldier. 

Prince  Henry,  the  king's  eldest  son,  began  on  this  day 
his  career  of  military  glory  ;  and,  though  he  was  wounded 
by  an  arrow  in  the  face,  would  not  quit  the  field.  On  the 
other  side,  young  Hotspur  and  the  earl  of  Douglas  per- 
formed prodigies  of  valor.  The  two  armies  were  nearly 
equal  in  numbers,  each  consisting  of  about  14,000  men, 
and  the  victory  remained  some  hours  undecided. 

The  king  had  caused  several  of  his  attendants  to  wear 
armor  resembling  his  own,  and  Douglas,  who  ardently 
desired  to  engage  with  him  personally,  sought  him  over 
the  field  of  battle,  and  often  thought  he  had  fought  with 
him,  and  slain  him ;  but  he  as  often  found  himself  deceived, 
and  was  at  last  himself  taken  prisoner.  Hotspur  was 
killed,  and  the  royal  army  at  length  remained  master  oi 
the  field,  on  which  six  thousand  men  lay  dead. 

When  Northumberland  heard  of  his  son's  death,  he  dis- 
banded his  army,  and  retired,  almost  broken-hearted,  to 
Warkworth.  But  when  Henry  proclaimed  a  pardon  to  ail 
the  rebels  who  would  return  to  their  allegiance,  the  earl, 
encouraged  by  these  gentle  measures,  came  to  York,  where 
the  king  then  was,  and  threw  himself  at  his  feet,  to  implore 
his  mercy  and  forgiveness.  At  first  the  king  received  him 
with  a  frown  ;  but,  remembering  how  much  he  owed  to  hie 
former  services,  and  pitying  the  poor  old  man's  bereaved 


When  was  the  battle  of  Shrewsbury  fought  ? 
What  courage  was  displayed  in  the  field  of  Shrewsbury  ? 
What  happened  to  Douglas  and  Hotspur  at  Shrewsbury  f 
What  a;en  crudity  to  Northumberland  did  Henry  IV  manifest? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  1G3 

condition,  he  granted  him  his  life,  and  soon  after  restored 
to  him  almost  all  his  honors  and  estates. 

A  T)  l  40^  Notwithstanding  the  attempts  Henry  had 
made  to  conciliate  the  people,  they  be- 
came more  and  more  discontented  ;  and  another  formida- 
ble insurrection  broke  out,  of  which  Scroop,  archbishop  of 
York,  and  Thomas  Mowbray,  earl  marshal,  were  the  ac- 
tive movers.  They  soon  assembled  a  body  of  15,000 
men,  and  encamped  on  Skipton  Moor,  expecting  to  be 
joined  by  the  earl  of  Northumberland,  who  had  again  ta- 
ken arms  against  the  king. 

To  suppress  this  sudden  and  formidable  rising,  the 
king  sent  Ralph  Nevil,  earl  of  Westmoreland,  into  the 
north.  Nevil,  finding  the  insurgents  more  numerous  than 
he  had  expected,  had  recourse  to  stratagem.  He  sent  to 
inquire  of  them  what  were  their  grievances,  that  if  reason- 
able, they  might  be  redressed. 

Nevil  next  invited  the  archbishop  and  the  other  leaders 
of  the  party  to  a  conference,  in  which  they  stated  their 
demands.  To  all  of  these  Nevil  agreed,  and  solemnly 
pledged  himself  to  procure  the  king's  ratification.  When 
he  had  thus  completely  lulled  into  security,  Nevil  persuad- 
ed them  to  send  messengers  to  their  troops,  to  tell  them 
that  peace  was  made,  and  that  they  might  return  to  their 
own  homes  ;  promising,  on  his  own  part  to  do  the  same. 

But  while  the  archbishop,  unsuspicious  of  any  fraud, 
sent  orders  to  his  men  to  disband,  the  wily  Nevil  gave  his 
own  message  to  a  person  whom  he  had  previously  ordered 
not  to  deliver  it :  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  perceived  that 
the   insurgents'  camp  was  broken  up,  and  the  men  dis- 
persing, he  caused  a  body  of  his  own  soldiers  to  come 
suddenly  to  the  place  of  conference,  and  carry  off  the 
archbishop,  and    all  those  who  had   accompanied  him, 
prisoners  to  Pontefract.     They  were  every  one  beheaded 
even  Scroop  himself,  which  was  the  first  instance  in  Eng 
land  of  a  capital  punishment  being  inflicted  on  a  bishop 
The  deceitful  conduct  of  Nevil  cannot  be  too  much  de 
ested. 

Did  Northumberland  show  gratitude  to  his  king  ? 

By  what  deceitful  transaction  did  the  eail  of  Westmoreland  mislead 
;ne  archbishop  of  York,  &c.  ? 

What  terms  did  Nevil  offer  the  insurgents? 
How  were  Scroop  and  his  aonerents  betrayed  ! 


1C4  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

A  I)  H08  Northumberland,  on  helping  of  the  death 
of  his  friends,  fled  first  into  Scotland,  and 
afterwards  into  Wales,  where  he  wandered  about  for  some 
time.  He  afterwards  returned  into  the  north,  and  made  a 
last  attempt  to  overthrow  the  power  of  Henry:  but  his 
party  was  defeated,  and  himself  slain,  in  a  battle  on  Bram- 
ham  Moor,  in  Yorkshire. 

The  repeated  ill-success  of  these  rebellions  at  length 
subdued  all  the  king's  enemies.  Even  the  Welsh,  des- 
pairing to  establish  their  independence,  abandoned  Glen- 
dower,  who  wandered  about  in  various  disguises,  till  he 
died  at  his  daughter's  house  at  Mornington,  in  Hereford- 
shire, in  1415 


\  D  1 4 1  ^  ^  most  unexPecte(l  chance  threw  into  the 
hands  of  Henry,  the  only  son  of  Robert 
III.,  king  of  Scotland.  David  Bruce,  having  no  children, 
had  been  succeeded  by  his  sister's  son,  Robert  Stuart,  who 
died  in  1390,  leaving  two  sons.  The  eldest,  Robert  III., 
succeeded  his  father,  and  was  a  prince  of  a  very  feeble 
character ;  the  other  son  was  duke  of  Albany,  a  restless 
and  ambitious  man,  who  got  the  affairs  of  the  nation  into 
his  hands,  and  ruled  them  imperiously,  and  even  imprison- 
ed and  starved  to  death  the  elder  of  his  brother's  two  sons. 

Robert,  anxious  to  save  his  other  son,  James,  (afterwards 
king  James  I.  of  Scotland,)  from  falling  into  the  hands  ot 
his  cruel  uncle,  was  desirous  to  send  him  to  France,  and 
committed  him  to  the  care  of  the  earl  of  Orkney,  whom  he 
directed  to  conduct  him  to  that  country.  They  embarked 
secretly,  and  set  sail,  but  their  vessel  was  taken  off  Flam- 
borough  head  by  an  English  privateer;  and  the  prince  and 
his  attendants  were  conveyed  to  Henry  who,  on  being  told 
oy  the  earl  of  Orkney  that  tl  e  yourg  prince  was  going  to 


What  became  of  Northumberland  1 

How  did  the  rebellion  terminate  in  this  reign  1 

Who  reigned  in  Scotland  in  1415  ? 

How  did  Prince  James  of  Scotland  fall  into  the  cusUdv  cf  Hcr^.y 

rv  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  )  05 

France  to  ltarn  French,  said, "  I  understa;  d  French,  and 
therefore  ought  to  be  entrusted  with  his  education." 

Henry  then  committed  James  and  his  attendants  close 
prisoners  to  the  Tower.  When  the  poor  old  father  heard 
the  news,  it  threw  him  into  such  agonies  of  grief  that  he 
died  in  three  days.  James  remained  a  prisoner  till  he  was 
twenty-eight  years  old,  the  duke  of  Albany  being  in  the 
meantime  regent  in  Scotland ;  but  Henry  made  some 
amends  for  his  unjust  conduct  towards  the  young  prince, 
by  giving  him  the  best  education  the  times  afforded,  so 
that  he  proved,  when  restored  to  his  kingdom,  the  most 
accomplished  monarch  that  ever  sat  upon  the  Scottish 
throne. 

This  prince's  history  is  very  affecting.  He  remained  in 
England  eighteen  years, but  he  was  not  kept  in  close  con- 
finement all  that  time.  He  had  an  excellent  tutor  appointed 
to  superintend  his  education  ;  he  learnt  titling,  wrestling, 
archery,  and  all  the  exercises  then  usually  practised  by 
young  men  of  rank ;  and  excelled  in  these  exercises,  as 
well  as  in  the  more  refined  studies  of  oratory,  jurispru- 
dence, and  the  philosophy  of  those  times. 

James  had  an  extraordinary  talent  for  music  and  poetry. 
Indeed  some  say  that  he  was  the  inventor  of  that  sweet  and 
plaintive  style  of  music  which  is  peculiar  to  Scotland  ;  but 
others  assert  with  more  probability,  that  he  merely  reduced 
the  wildness  of  Scottish  melody  to  the  rules  of  composition. 
His  poetry  is  extraordinary,  considering  the  time  and  cir- 
cumstance, in  which  it  was  written. 

When  the  duke  of  Albany  died,  the  people  of  Scotland 
paid  their  king's  ransom,  and  he  returned  home.  After 
reigning  fifteen  years  he  was  assassinated.  His  whole  life 
was  not,  however, unfortunate,  for  he  lived  to  do  much  good 
to  his  native  country.  He  made  excellent  laws,  and  re- 
formed many  abuses  ;  and  conducted  himself  with  so  much 
firmness,  justice,  and  good  policy,  that  the  name  of  James 
the  First  of  Scotland  is  still  held  in  reverence.    While  9\ 


What  effect  had  the  capture  of  the  prince  upon  his  father,  and  how 
-as  the  former  treated  in  England? 
How  was  prince  James  educated? 
Was  prince  James  possessed  of  extraordinary  genius  ? 
What  is  the  se<piel  of  prince  James's  history  ? 


1G3  ENGLISH   HISTOH  V. 

Windsor,  he  became  attached  to  Jane  Beaufort,  grand 
daughter  of  John  of  Gaunt,  whom  he  married  as  soon  as 
tie  was  restored  to  his  own  country. 


At  last  Henry  had  some  respite  from  his  enemies,  but  he 
suffered  greatly  from  bad  health ;  and  soon  after  the  death 
of  archbishop  Scroop  he  became  afflicted  with  a  loathsome 
eruption  in  his  face,  which  the  common  people  considered 
as  a  punishment  for  the  death  of  that  prelate,  who  was  much 
beloved  by  them. 

The  king's  happiness  was  also  much  embittered  by  the 
wildness  of  his  eldest  son,  who,  when  not  engaged  in  mili- 
vary  exploits,  in  which  he  displayed  great  courage  and 
ability,  passed  his  time  in  a  very  licentious  way.  One  of 
the  prince's  companions  was  once  committed  for  a  robbery, 
and  brought  before  the  chief  justice,  Gascoigne.  Gas- 
coigne  refusing  to  release  the  offender,  the  prince  drew 
his  sword,  and  behaved  in  a  very  violent  manner,  on  which 
the  chief  justice  ordered  him  to  be  taken  to  the  King's 
Bench  prison.  The  prince,  conscious  of  the  impropriety 
of  his  own  conduct,  submitted  to  the  punishment ;  and 
when  this  incident  was  related  to  the  king,  he  exclaimed, 
"Happy  the  monarch  who  possesses  a  judge  so  resolute 
in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  and  a  son  so  willing  to  sub 
mit  to  the  laws !" 

In  the  last  year  of  Henry's  reign  he  sent  a  body  of  troops 
to  France,  under  the  command  of  his  second  son,  the  duke 
of  Clarence,  to  join  the  duke  of  Burgundy  in  a  civil  war 
which  he  was  carrying  on  against  the  duke  of  Orleans. 
He,  no  douot,  hoped  that,  by  fomenting  the  distractions  of 
that  unhappy  country,  he  might  be  able  to  regain  some  of 
those  possessions  in  France  which  were  now  lost  to  the 
English.  But  both  parties  dreading  the  admittar.ee  of  a 
Large  body  of  English  troops  into  the  country,  prevailed 
on  Clarence,  by  the  promise  of  a  sum  of  money,  to  retire 
into  Guienne. 


Was  Henry  IV.  happy  in  his  private  condition'? 
What  anecdote  is  related  of  prince  Henry  ? 
Did  Henry  IV.  renew  hostilities  in  France  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  167 

Tho  king's  he  ilth  now  rapidly  declined,  and  he  became 
subject  to  epileptic  fits.  It  is  said,  that  one  day,  when  he 
was  in  one  of  these  fits,  the  prince,  who  believed  him  to 
be  actually  dead,  carried  the  crown,  which  was  placed  by 
the  king's  bedside,  out  of  the  room.  When  the  king  came 
to  himself,  he  instantly  missed  it,  and  sternly  asked,  who 
had  taken  it  away  ? 

The  prince  made  a  dutiful  apology,  which  pacified  the 
king,  who  said  with  a  sigh,  "  Alas  \  fair  son,  what  right 
have  you  to  the  crown,  when  you  know  your  father  had 
none  f "  "  My  liege,"  answered  the  prince,  "  with  your 
sword  you  won  it,  and  with  the  sword  I  will  keep  it." 
u  Well,"  replied  the  king,  "  do  as  you  please  ;  I  leave  the 
issue  to  God,  and  hope  he  will  have  mercy  on  my  soul." 

A  D  l-ll*;  ^ot  very  ^°nS  afterwards,  while  he  was 
performing  his  devotions  in  Edward  the 
Confessor's  chapel  at  Westminster,  Henry  was  again 
seized  with  a  fit.  He  was  conveyed  to  the  abbot's  lodging, 
and  there  expired,  on  the  20th  of  March,  1413,  in  the 
46th  year  of  his  age,  and  the  1 4th  of  his  reign.  His  first 
wife  was  Mary  de  Bohun,  by  whom  he  had  four  sons  and 
two  daughters  :  his  second  wife  was  Isabella  of  Navarre, 
widow  of  the  duke  of  Bretagne,  by  whom  he  had  no  chil- 
dren. 


Several  Lollards  were  in  this  reign  condemned  to  death 
for  their  opinions.  The  Lollards  put  no  faith  in  the  par- 
dons and  indulgences  granted  by  the  pope,  not  thinking 
that  the  souls  of  men  were  in  the  keeping  of  any  sinful  and 
mortal  man  like  themselves :  and  this  opinion  was  very 
displeasing  to  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy,  who  made  a 
great  profit  by  the  sale  of  those  indulgences.  The  Lol- 
lards disbelieved  also  in  transubstantiation. 

Transubstantiatioa  is   the  belief  that   the   I  re  ad  and 


Did  Henry  IV.  suspect  the  pnnce  of  undutifulr.^ss  to  himself? 
Did  the  king  bestow  his  crown  on  prince  Henry  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  religion  in  England  during  the  reign  of  Heu:/ 
IV.,  and  what  were  the  opinions  of  the  Lollards  ? 
Wiiat  was  meant  by  transubstantiation  ? 


168  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

wine  taken  at  the  sacrament  actually  becomes,  by  the 
priest's  blessing,  the  real  body  and  blood  of  our  Saviour, 
vhe  very  substance,  instead  of  considering  them,  as  Pro- 
testants do,  to  be  solely  a  memorial  of  Christ's  last  sup- 
per, and  to  be  taken  in  remembrance  of  him. 

There  were  other  points  in  which  the  Lollards  differed 
from  the  then  established  church,  such  as  the  praying  to 
images  and  relics,  doing  penance,  saying  masses  for  the 
souls  of  the  dead,  and  many  more  :  but  that  of  denying 
transubstantiation  was  considered  the  most  material  differ- 
ence, or  rather  was  made  a  sort  of  test  of  faith,  by  which 
heretics  were  to  be  distinguished. 

Arundel,  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  was  the  chief  pei  • 
secutor  of  the  Lollards,  and  caused  many  of  them  to  be 
condemned  and  executed.  One  of  them,  of  the  name  of 
Badby,  was  sentenced  to  be  burnt  atSmithfield.  He  was 
tied  to  a  stake,  and  faggots  were  piled  around  him,  which 
were  just  going  to  be  set  on  fire,  when  the  prince  of  Wales 
rode  up  to  him,  and  besought  him  to  renounce  his  opin- 
ions and  save  his  life,  promising  to  give  him  enough  to 
live  comfortably  upon,  if  he  would  do  so. 

The  poor  man  thanked  the  prince  with  many  expres- 
sions of  gratitude  ;  but  said  that,  as  he  firmly  believed  his 
opinions  to  be  true,  he  would  not  sacrifice  his  conscience 
to  save  his  life.  When  the  faggots  were  set  on  fire,  the 
prince  came  again,  and  entreated  him  to  recant ;  but  he 
continued  steadfast  as  before,  and  was  accordingly  burnt. 
These  are  the  first  instances  of  the  burning  for  heresy 
mentioned  in  English  history.  This  cruel  practice  was 
followed  from  that  of  the  Catholics  of  Italy,  France,  and 
Spain. 


How  did  the  Lollards  differ  from  the  Catholics  ? 
How  were  the  Lollards  persecuted  ? 

Were  the  Lollards  firm   in  suffering  for  their  doctrine,  and  who  ouui 
Uienced  b  irn,ng  for  heresy  1 
What  in  h're<rj  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY 


169 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HENRY  V. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1113—1422.] 


A  gentleman  and  ladies  of  rank  of  the  fifteenth  century. 

Henry,  as  soon  as  his  father  had  breathed  his  last, 
i  I'lired  to  his  own  room,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  the  day 
ui  prayer  and  privacy.  On  the  following  morning  he  is 
yaid  to  have  sent  for  the  low  companions  of  his  youthful 
follies,  and  to  have  told  them  that  he  was  now  going  to  lead 
an  altered  life,  and  to  enter  on  new  and  importa'nt  duties ; 
at  the  same  time  forbidding  them  to  appear  in  his  presence, 
till  they,  like  himself,  should  have  reformed  their  conduct. 

The  young  king  possessed,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the 
qualities  most  calculated  to  make  him  a  favorite  with  the 
people.  Even  in  the  midst  of  his  wildest  excesses,  he  had 
ul  ways  given  proofs  of  a  good  and  feeling  heart.  He  had 
already  distinguished  himself  for  military  courage,  and  his 
deportment  was  at  once  commanding  and  ingratiating.    His 


Did  Henry  V.  abandon  his  youthful  follies  when  he  came  to  the 
ihrone  ? 

By  what  qualities  did  He'iry  V.  corrmend  himself  to  the  English 
action  T 


170  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

person  was  tall  and  slender,  his  hair  dark,  and  his  feauues 
exceedingly  beautiful ;  and  in  the  general  joy  with  which 
he  was  received  as  king,  the  defect  in  his  father's  title  to 
the  crown,  seemed  to  be  forgotten. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  the  succession  was  through 
the  oldest,  and  next  oldest  of  the  royal  family  in  order.  The 
defect  in  Henry's  title,  was,  he  had  set  aside  the  heirs  of 
his  grandfather's  second  son,  and  being  a  son  of  a  third 
son,  had  taken  the  place  of  the  legitimate  heir;  this 
heir  being  the  earl  of  March,  a  great  grandson  of  Lionel, 
duke  of  Clarence,  the  elder  brother  of  John  of  Gaunt, 
Henry's  grandfather. 

Henry,  confiding  in  this  his  general  popularity,  set  at 
liberty  the  earl  of  March,  (who  had  been  kept  in  close 
confinement  during  the  whole  of  the  lust  reign)  and  treat- 
ed him  with  an  unsuspicious  frankness,  which  more  effec- 
tually secured  his  fidelity  than  bars  and  bolts  could  have 
done.  This  young  nobleman,  in  the  following  year,  was 
made  a  party  to  a  plot  against  Henry,  which  had  for  its 
object  to  place  himself  on  the  throne  ;  but  he  discovered 
the  whole  plot  to  the  king,  who  put  to  death  all  the  ring- 
leaders of  the  conspiracy. 

To  show  his  respect  for  the  memory  of  the  unfortunate 
Richard,  who  had  knighted  him,  and  from  whom  he  had, 
when  a  boy,  received  many  kindnesses,  Henry  caused  his 
remains  to  be  removed  from  Langley,  where  they  had  been 
buried,  and  re-interred  at  Westminster  with  great  pomp. 

Amongst  many  other  generous  acts,  Henry  recalled  the 
son  of  Hotspur  from  exile,  and  restored  to  him  the  estates 
and  honors  of  his  family.  In  short,  his  conduct  fully  jus- 
tified in  all  respects,  except  in  that  of  his  persecution  of 
the  Lollards,  the  high  opinion  the  nation  had  formed  of 
him.  But  in  that  instance  we  may  suppose  he  was  actuated 
by  a  mistaken  zeal  for  what  he  considered  the  true  religion 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  followers  of  the  new  doc- 


Why  was  the  title  of  Henry  17.  defective  ?  {title  signifying  legal 
right  to  reign.) 

How  did  Henry  V.  treat  the  carl  of  March  ? 

What  respect  was  shown  to  the  remains  of  Richard  II.  ? 

What  instances  are  given  of  opposite  traits  in  the  character  of  Ifcxy 
V.— generosity  in  one  case  and  cruelty  in  another  ? 

Who  was  lord  Cobham  i 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  171 

trine  was  loid  Coohara,  He  liad  been  in  the  early  part  of 
his  life  very  wild  and  ill  -conducted  ;  but  from  the  time  he 
adopted  the  reformed  opinions,  he  had  led  a  moral  and  re- 
ligious life.  Henry,  thinking  highly  of  him  as  a  wise  and 
virtuous  man,  attempted  to  reason  with  him  on  what  he 
himself  thought  the  fallacy  of  the  new  opinions. 

The  king,  however,  after  a  long  conversation,  became 
so  much  provoked  by  Cobham's  perseverance  in  the  de- 
fence of  his  tenets,  that  he  turned  him  over  to  an  assembly 
of  bishops,  by  whom  he  was  committed  prisoner  to  the 
Tower.  From  thence  he  made  his  escape,  and  secreted 
himself  in  Wales  in  the  year  1417;  when  a  particular 
search  was  made  for  him,  on  suspicion  of  his  having  excit- 
ed a  popular  tumult ;  and  being  taken,  he  was  condemned 
and  burnt  as  a  heretic. 

Meanwhile  the  miseries  of  France  were  extreme. 
Civil  war  raged  with  the  greatest  fury  ;  the  nobles  seemed 
to  have  caught  the  frantic  madness  of  their  monarch,  and 
to  be  actuated  by  the  desire  of  exterminating  each  other. 
Towns  were  taken  and  destroyed,  the  open  country  was 
desolated  by  fire  and  sword,  and  all  to  gratify  the  hatred 
and  revenge  of  the  dukes  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy.  This 
sad  condition  of  that  unhappy  country  added  fuel  to  the 
ambition  of  the  English  king. 

A  D  1415  The  military  ardor  of  Henry  induced  him 
to  revive  the  claim  to  the  crown  of  that 
country  which  had  been  made  by  Edward  III.  He  accord- 
ingly made  preparations  for  asserting  it ;  and  the  leading 
parties  of  France  were  so  intent  on  their  own  internal  quar- 
rels, that  they  saw  not  the  gathering  tempest,  till  it  was 
ready  to  burst  on  their  heads,  and  Henry,  with  thirty  thou- 
sand men,  had  already  crossed  the  Channel. 

Henry  had  time  to  besiege  and  capture  the  town  of 
Harfleur,  while  the  dukes  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy  were 
at  Paris,  contending  who  should  command  the  army  which 
was  to  be  sent  against  him.  This  contest  being  at  length 
decided  in  favor  of  the  duke  of  Orleans,  he  marched  from 


Was  lord  Cobham  treated  as  a  wise  and  virtuous  man  deserved  ? 
What  was  the  condition  of  France  in  14L5  ? 
Upon  what  pretence  did  Henry  V.  make  war  upon  France  ? 
What  town   in  France  did  Henry  capture,  and  what  army   maichod 
against  him  T 


172  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Palis  with  100,000  men,  meaning  at  one  blow  to  annihilate 
the  English  army,  which,  by  the  heat  of  the  weather,  and 
by  disorders  brought  on  by  eating  too  much  fruit,  was  now 
reduced  to  1 0,000  men. 

Henry,  after  repairing  Harfleur,  and  placing  an  English 
garrison  in  it,  designed  to  return  to  England.  He  departed 
from  Harfleur  in  October,  1415,  proceeding  by  easy  jour- 
neys, and  enforcing  the  strictest  discipline.  He  paid  the 
country  people  liberally  for  every  thing  he  had  of  them  ; 
and  they  consequently  brought  him  supplies  of  provisions, 
notwithstanding  the  orders  they  had  received  to  the  con- 
trary. During  the  march,  the  king  fared  no  better  than 
the  meanest  soldier,  and  encouraged  his  men  by  the  cheer- 
ful and  friendly  manner  in  which  he  conversed  with  them. 

On  October  24th,  they  arrived  near  the  village  of  Azin 
court,  where  they  beheld  the  whole  French  army  drawn  up 
at  some  distance  before  them.  Henry  took  an  attentive 
survey  of  the  country  from  a  rising  ground,  and  saw  that 
it  was  equally  impossible  to  retreat  or  to  advance  without 
a  battle.  He,  therefoie,  resolved  to  hazard  one  the  next 
morning;  and  sent  his  faithful  Welsh  squire,  David  Gam, 
to  reconnoitre  the  number  of  the  French  army.  Gam's 
blunt  account  was,  that  "  there  were  enough  to  fight, 
enough  to  be  killed,  and  enough  to  run  away." 

The  evening  was  dark  and  rainy ;  but,  as  soon  as  the 
moon  was  risen,  the  king  took  advantage  of  its  light  to  ex- 
amine the  place  with  great  care.  He  chose  his  position 
on  a  small  rising  ground,  surrounded  on  every  side  by 
brushwood  and  trees.  He  then  placed  guards  and  lighted 
fires,  and  the  army,  with  the  exception  of  some  who  passed 
in  prayer  what  they  supposed  would  be  the  last  night  of 
their  lives,  retired  to  rest. 

While  these  things  were  passing  in  the  English  camp 
the  French  passed  the  night  in  noisy  festivity;  and,  confi- 
dent of  victory  on  the  morrow,  it  was  agreed  among  them 
that  all  the  English  should  be  put  to  the  sword,  excepting 
the  king  and  the  chief  nobility,  who  were  to  be  saved  foi 
'.he  sake  of  their  ransoms. 


flow  did  Henry  demean  himself  in  France  ? 
Where  did  the  English  come  in  sight  of  the  French  army? 
How  did  the  English  pass  the  first  night  at  Azincourt 1 
"What  preparation  did  the  French  make  for  battle  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  173 

When  morning  dawned,  Henry  summoned  his  men  to 
attend  mass,  and  then  prepared  for  the  battle.  He  disposed 
his  little  force  in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  appear  to 
be  more  numerous  than  it  really  was.  In  front  he  placed 
sharp  stakes  pointed  with  iron,  a  contrivance  which  was 
of  great  service  in  keeping  off  the  enemy's  calvary.  He 
then  rode  along  the  line,  clad  in  shining  armor,  with  a 
crown  of  gold,  adorned  with  precious  stones,  on  his  head, 
and  addressed  an  animating  speech  to  each  corps  as  he 
passed. 

The  two  armies  were  now  drawn  up  nearly  opposite  to 
each  other  ;  but  for  want  of  space,  the  French  were  not 
in  such  good  order  as  the  English,  who  were  waiting, 
every  man  in  his  place,  with  his  bow  ready  bent,  for  the 
moment  when  the  charge  should  be  sounded.  That  in- 
stant, the  archers  who  were  in  front  discharged  such  a  flighi 
of  arrows  as  threw  the  French  line  into  some  confusion 
As  soon  as  they  had  expended  all  their  arrows,  they 
rushed  on  the  enemy  with  their  swords  and  battle-axes, 
and  defeated  the  first  line. 

The  second  French  line,  commanded  by  the  duke 
d'Alengon,  then  advanced,  and  encountered  the  second 
line  of  the  English,  led  on  by  Henry.  The  conflict  was 
close  and  furious  ;  and  the  duke  of  Gloucester  was  wound- 
ed and  unhorsed,  and  would  have  been  slain,  had  not 
Henry  defended  him  till  he  could  be  borne  off  the  field. 
On  this  the  duke  d'Alencon,  who  had  made  an  oath  to 
kill  or  take  the  English  king,  forced  his  way  to  Henry, 
and,  aiming  a  furious  blow,  cleft  the  crown  on  his  helmet ; 
but  was  immediately  overborne  and  slain  without  doing 
him  any  farther  injury. 

Eighteen  other  French  knights  had  also  taken  the  same 
vow;  and,  like  the  duke,  lost  their  lives  in  attempting  to 
fulfil  it,  being  all  killed  by  the  king's  faithful  squire,  David 
Gam,  and  two  other  Welshmen,  who  defended  their  master 
at  the  cost  of  their  own  lives.  Henry  knighted  these  hie 
brave  defenders  as  they  lay  bleeding  to  death  at  his  feet. 

When  the  second  line  of  the  French  army  knew  that 

Did  Henry  exhibit  exce.lent  management  in  his  preparations  1 

What  threw  the  French  into  confusion  ? 

How  did  the  duke  of  Alencon  come  by  his  death? 

What  French  and  English  were  killed  in  this  bathe  ? 

H.isv  did  the  tattle  of  Arzincourt  er.d  ? 


174  ENGLISH  HISTOHV. 

their  leader  the  duke  d'Aleu^on,  was  killed,  they  inhde 
no  more  resistance,  and  the  remaining  division  of  thf> 
army  fled  without  having  struck  a  blow.  Henry,  after  a 
conflict  which  lasted  omy  three  hours,  obtained  a  complete 
victory  in  circumstances  that  scarcely  seemed  to  allow 
him  any  hope  of  escape  from  his  enemies.  The  loss  oi 
the  French,  both  in  killed  and  prisoners,  was  immense. 

Amongst  the  killed  were  the  dukes  of  Orleans  and  Bour- 
boi  ;  and  it  is  remarkable  that  the  principal  loss  fell  upon 
the  nobles  of  the  two  factions ;  and  that  comparatively  few 
of  the  common  men  were  slain.  Henry  returned  to  Eng- 
land in  great  triumph  with  his  prisoners ;  and  the  people 
were  in  such  ecstacies  of  joy,  that  when  he  approached 
Dover,  many  of  them  plunged  into  the  sea  to  meet  his  barge. 

The  circumstances  of  the  battles  of  Cressy,  Poitiers,  and 
Azincourt,  have  a  singular  resemblance  to  each  other.  In 
each  we  see  a  powerful  prince  plunging,  without  any  ade- 
quate object,  into  the  midst  of  an  enemy's  country,  and 
surrounded  and  in  danger  of  being  destroyed.  And  in 
each  we  see,  at  the  head  of  an  immense  host  of  French,  a 
commander  who  commits  the  same  error  of  despising, 
through  vain  glory,  a  handful  of  desperate  men  :  and  that 
these  handfuls  of  desperate  men  should  each  time  obtain 
a  complete  victory,  is,  doubtless,  very  extraordinary. 

The  cabals  amongst  the  nobles  of  France,  instead  of 
being  checked  by  the  late  national  calamity,  only  became 
the  more  violent.  The  king  of  France,  Charles  the  Sixth, 
was  mad  •,  the  dukes  of  Orleans  and  Burgundy,  contended 
for  the  kingdom ;  and  the  queen  took  part  with  the  Bur- 
gundians.    The  Orleans  party  were  called  the  Armagnacs. 

Such  was  the  state  of  things,  when  Henry  landed  with 
a  considerable  army  in  Normandy,  on  the  ]  st  of  August, 
1417.  No  preparations  had  been  made  for  opposing  him ; 
and  he  marched  forwards,  taking  possession  of  all  the 
towns  in  his  way  ;  little  resistance  being  attempted,  except 
--it  Rouen,  which  sustained  a  siege  of  nearly  six  months, 
and  was  at  last  only  reduced  by  famine. 


Who  were  slain  at  Azincourt,  and  how    was  Henry  received  in  EtiL 
land  ? 

What  battles  were  much  alike  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  the  French  nut. on  ht  this  time  f 

What  reception  awaited  Henry  in  France  1417  I 


EXGLISH  HISTORY.  175 

In  the  meantime  the  factions  of  France,  as  on  Henry's 
former  invasion,  were  too  much  occupied  in  their  mutual 
contests  to  observe  the  progress  of  the  English  king.  The 
queen  and  duke  of  Burgundy  had  sent  secret  orders  to 
their  friends  in  Paris  to  put  every  one  who  was  known  to 
be  an  Armagnac  to  death.  It  is  said  that  in  consequence  of 
this  bloody  mandate  14,000  persons  were  massacred  :  and 
v.  hile  the  streets  were  actually  streaming  with  blood,  the 
queen  and  duke  made  their  triumphant  entry  into  Paris  ! 

When  Henry  at  last  had  conquered  the  whole  of  Nor- 
mandy, the  contending  parties  began  to  look  about  them, 
and  to  consider,  when  too  late,  what  was  to  be  done.  The 
queen  and  the  duke  of  Burgundy,  invited  Henry  to  a  per- 
sonal interview,  where  many  points  were  discussed,  but 
nothing  finally  concluded.  The  dauphin,  alarmed  by  the 
duke  of  Burgundy's  alliance  with  Henry,  contrived  to  de- 
tach him  from  it,  and  to  induce  him  to  make  peace  with 
himself. 

This  apparent  reconciliation  was  celebrated  throughout 
France  with  every  demonstration  of  joy  ;  joy,  however, 
which  was  but  of  short  continuance,  for  the  reconciliation 
was  only  pretended  on  the  side  of  the  dauphin,  who  in- 
citing the  duke  to  a  personal  conference  on  the  bridge  of 
Montereau  sur  Yonne,  caused  him  to  be  assassinated,  and 
even  stood  by  and  witnessed  the  murder. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  fury  of  the  Burgundians  at 
this  areadful  tragedy  :  and  Philip,  the  son  and  successor  of 
die  murdered  duke,  forgetting  every  other  consideration  in 
the  desire  of  vengeance,  entered  into  a  treaty  with  Henry, 
which  went  to  confer  on  him  the  regency  of  France  during 
the  life  of  the  present  king,  and,  at  his  death,  the  succession 
to  the  crown,  in  exclusion  of  the  dauphin,  against  whom 
England  and  Burgundy  agreed  to  unite  their  forces.  The 
king  of  France  was  ai  this  time  in  the  power  of  the  Bur 
gundians,  and  was  made  a  party  to  their  treaty. 

A  T)  1420      ^ne  °^  ^e  art^c^es  was>  tnat  Henry  was 
to  many  the  princess  Catharine,  the  king's 

What  attrocities  were  committed  tl  this  time  in  France  ? 
What  was  Henry's  success  in  France  '{ 

What  alliance  did  Henry  make,  and  how  was  it  ooserved  on  the  part  ut 
tho  Dauphin  of  France  ? 

What  subsequent  treaty  was  made  between  the  French  and  English? 
When  was  Henry  V.  married  ? 


176  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

youngest  daughter  This  marriage  was  accordingly  so 
lemnized ;  and  the  two  kings  and  their  queens  made  a  tri 
umphant  entry  into  Paris.  The  title  of  the  new  regeni 
was  ratified  by  the  states  general,  (a  kind  of  parliament,) 
and  the  union  of  the  two  crowns  was  celebrated  with  great 
outward  demonstrations  of  joy. 

The  duke  of  Burgundy  presented  himself  to  the  assem- 
bly of  the  three  estates, — the  nobles,  the  clergy,  and  re- 
presentatives of  the  other  orders, — clothed  in  the  deepest 
mourning,  to  deman  I  justice  on  the  murderers  of  his  father ; 
and  a  sentence  of  excommunication  was  pronounced  on  the 
dauphin  and  his  accomplices,  who  were  declared  incapa- 
ble of  succeeding  to  any  honor  or  dignity.  The  dauphin 
did  not  submit  tamely  to  be  thus  disinherited  ;  but  appeal- 
ing to  God  and  his  sword  for  the  maintenance  of  his  title, 
he  assumed  the  title  of  regent,  and  vigorously  defended 
himself  and  the  few  places  that  still  adhered  to  him. 

Early  in  the  following  year,  Henry,  with  his  young 
queen,  came  to  England,  leaving  his  brother,  the  duke  of 
Clarence,  behind  him  as  his  lieutenant ;  but  after  a  few 
months'  absence,  he  returned  hastily  to  France,  on  hearing 
>hat  the  duke  of  Clarence  had  been  killed  in  an  engagement 
with  some  Scottish  soldiers  in  the  dauphin's  service. 
Henry  took  with  him  the  captive  king  of  Scotland,  in  tho 
nope  that  the  presence  of  their  king  would  detach  the 
Scots  from  the  dauphin. 

This  project  did  not  succeed,  for  the  Scots  remained 
steady  to  the  side  they  had  taken.  In  May,  1422,  Henry 
with  the  queen  and  his  son,  who  had  been  born  a  few 
months  before,  made  a  triumphant  entry  into  Paris, to  show 
the  people  their  future  king.  But  though  the  magnificence 
of  the  show  might  amuse  the  Parisians  for  a  moment,  it 
could  not  stifle  the  discontent  they  in  secret  felt  at  the  hu- 
miliation of  their  country. 

After  this,  Henry  rejoined  his  army,  andreduced  several 
towns  which  had  adhered  to  the  dauphin :  but,  while  be- 
sieging Cosne  he  was  taken  ill,  and  was  obliged  to  give  up 
(lie  commard  of  his  army  to  his  brother,  the  duke  of  Bed- 
Did  the  Duke  of  Burgundy  demand  redress  for  the  murder  ol  his  father'i 

Why  did  Henry  V.  return  to  England  in  1421  ? 

Did  the  French  nation  regard  Henry  V.  with  cordiality  ? 

When  was  Henry  V.  taken  violently  ill? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  1?7 

ford.  He  then  retired  to  Bois  de  Vincennes,  near  Paris 
where  lie  grew  rapidly  worse.  He  soon  felt  himself  at 
the  point  of  death,  and  sent  for  the  duke  of  Bedford  and 
the  earl  of  Warwick,  to  come  to  him,  and  receive  his  last 
directions. 

Henry  appointed  the  duke  of  Bedford  regent  of  France, 
and  the  duke  of  Gloucester  regent  of  England  ;  and  his  in- 
fant son  he  committed  to  the  care  of  the  earl  of  Warwick, 
lie  also  gave  a  particular  charge  that  the  prisoners  taken 
at  Azincourt  should  not  be  set  at  liberty  till  his  son  was  of 
age.  After  he  had  given  his  final  directions,  he  asked  his 
physicians  "  how  long  they  thought  he  might  live  I"  And 
when  they  told  him,  "  about  two  hours,"  he  shut  oui  from 
his  thoughts  every  earthly  care,  and  spent  his  remaining 
moments  in  devotion. 

A  D    142^      Henry  V'died  Au2*  31'in  the  thirty_ 
fourth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  tenth  of 

his  reign.  His  death  is  said  to  have  been  hastened  by  the 
unskilfulness  of  his  physicians.  His  funeral  procession 
was  conducted  with  prodigious  pomp  through  France,  an*1 
afterwards  from  Dover  to  Westminster,  where  he  was 
buried.  Tapers  were  kept  burning  day  and  night  on  his 
tomb  for  nearly  100  years,  and  might  be  burning  still,  per- 
haps; if  all  customs  of  that  kind  had  not  been  abolished  at 
the  Reformation. 

Henry  married  Catharine  of  France,  and  left  one  son, 
Henry,  born  at  Westminster,  December  6,  1421.  The 
queen  afterwards  married  Owen  Tudor,  a  Welsh  gentle- 
man, by  whom  she  had  three  sons  :  Edmund,  earl  of  Rich- 
mond, married  Margaret,  daughter  of  John  Beaufort,  duke 
of  Somerset,  and  was  the  father  of  Henry  Tudor,  afterwards 
king  Henry  VII. ;  Jasper,  earl  of  Pembroke  ;  and  Owen. 


Manners  and  customs  of  the  reign  of  Henry  V.  were 
improving  in  England,  but  the  conveniences  of  life  were 
still  far  behind  ours  of  the  present  age.     The  nobility  at 

What  were  the  last  appointments  of  Henry  V.  ? 
What  were  the  obsequies  of  Henry  V.  '( 

Who  were  the  family  of  Henry  V.  ? 

What  was  tl  e  domestic  trchiteeture  of  Henry  the  Fifth's  timo  i 


178  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

that  time  no  longe:  lived  shut  up  in  gloomy  caslles ;  but 
began  to  inhabit  large  mansions,  built  of  timber,  and  co- 
vered with  plaster.  The  outside  wood  work  was  ferj 
much  carved,  and  the  windows  were  large  and  wide 
The  principal  apartment  was  the  hall,  which  was  two  01 
three  stories  high,  and  commonly  had  an  entrance  porch. 
The  floor  of  the  upper  half  of  the  hall  was  raised  about  a 
foot  higher  than  the  rest,  and  called  the  dais,  and  there 
the  lord  of  the  mansion  sat  with  his  guests.  The  lowei 
part  was  common  to  the  menials  of  the  family,  of  whom 
there  were  in  every  house  a  great  number.  The  furniture 
of  these  halls  was  not  very  sumptuous,  and  ususlly  con- 
sisted of  only  a  long  table  fastened  to  the  floor,  three  01 
four  wooden  benches  for  the  gentlemen,  with  some  low 
stools  for  the  ladies,  and  perhaps  a  corner  cupboard. 

The  walls  were  covered  with  large  pieces  of  tapestry, 
nung  on  tenter-hooks,  and  taken  down  in  summer.  Some 
houses  had  chimneys  ;  but  in  many  the  fire-place  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  floor,  and,  unless  when  a  hole  in  the  rool 
was  made  for  it,  the  smoke  found  its  way  out  through  the 
rafters. 

In  the  halls,  while  the  nobles  and  their  guests  sat  at 
taole,  they  were  entertained  by  singers,  minstrels,  and 
dancers  Over  their  heads  were  the  perches  for  theii 
hawks,  and  at  their  feet  the  pavement  was  crowded  with 
dogs,  gnawing  the  bones  that  were  thrown  to  them :  and 
besides  all  this,  was  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  the  nume- 
rous and  noisy  attendants,  who,  it  should  appear,  were  al- 
lowed to  bawl  and  shout,  and  talk  to  each  other. 

When  the  master  of  the  house  and  his  guests  had  eaten 
what  they  chose,  the  serving  men  took  their  share,  and 
what  remained  was  given  to  the  poor,  who,  at  the  hour  of 
dinner,  stood  in  crowds  about  the  gate  to  receive  it. 

Accommodations  for  sleeping  were  not  very  comfortable 
In  the  reign  of  Henry  V.  a  flock  bed,  and  a  chaff  bolster 
were  considered  extraordinary  luxuries,  and  pillows  were 
only  made  for  sick  people.  Feather  beds,  however,  were 
used  by  kings  and  princes.  The  beds  of  the  middle  classes 
of  people,  were  straw  pallets  covered  with  a  sheet,  and  a  log 

Describe  the  hall,  the  dais,  the  furniture,  the  chimneys? 

What  were  the  manners  of  the  old  barons  in  their  country  houses  ? 

What  sort  of  beuding  was  used  in  this  age  in  England  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  179 

of  wood  for  a  bolster,  with  a  blanket  and  coverlet,  like  what 
is  now  used  for  horse-cloths.  Servants  had  very  seldom 
any  sheets  at  all,  and  the  sleeping  in  night-clothes  was  an 
extravagance  they  did  not  indulge  in.  And  in  war  even 
such  accommodations  as  these  were  sometimes  denied  to 
princes  themselves. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

HENRY  VI. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1122— 14GL] 

The  duke  of  Bedford,  who  was  appointed  to  the  regency 
of  France  by  the  late  king,  was  not  his  inferior  either  in 
valor  or  wisdom,  and  was  much  superior  to  him  in  the 
excellent  virtues  of  clemency  and  command  of  temper. 
The  earls  of  Warwick,  Salisbury,  Arundel,  and  lord  Tal- 
bot, who  held  high  offices  in  the  state  and  army,  were  all 
men  of  distinguished  abilities  ;  so  that  the  death  of  Henry 
made  no  immediate  change  in  the  situation  of  affairs  in 
France. 

Charles  VI.  ended  his  unhappy  reign  a  few  months  af- 
ter the  death  of  Henry.  The  dauphin,  Charles  VII.,  im 
mediately  assumed  the  name  of  king,  and  lost  no  oppor- 
tunity of  trying  to  regain  his  kingdom  :  but  Bedford  did 
all  that  a  wise  and  politic  man  could  do  to  support  the  in- 
terests 2(  his  nephew.  He  agreed  to  the  ransom  of  the 
king  of  Scotland,  and  made  a  seventeen  years' truce  with 
that  country  which  prevented  Charles  from  obtaining  any 
farther  assistance  from  it. 

A   T)   1 42ft       r^ie  ear*  °**  Salisbury,  with  a  powerful 

army,  laid  siege  to  Orleans,  which  still 

idhered  to  Charles.     At  the  second  assault  a  small  towei 

which  defended  the  bridge  was  taken.     At  the  top  of  thif 


Who  were  the  chief  men  in  England  at  the  tiiAe  of  Henry  the  Fiflfc  ? 
leuth  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  affairs  in  France  ? 
Where  was  the  earl  of  Sa'isbury  killed  ? 


ISO  ENGLISH   HISTORF. 

tower  was  a  grated  window,  which  overlooked  the  town . 
and  while  the  earl  of  Salisbury  was  taking  a  survey  from 
it,  he  was  perceived  by  the  master  gunner  of  the  enemy 
who  aimed  a  gun  at  the  window,  which  shivered  the  iron 
bars  of  the  grate  and  wounded  the  earl  so  desparately  that 
he  died  a  few  days  afterwards. 

The  siege  was  continued  under  the  direction  of  the  earl 
of  Suffolk  and  lord  Talbot,  who  completely  defeated  the 
army  which  had  been  sent  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  and 
Charles  now  thought  it  impossible  to  save  it ;  when  one 
of  the  most  extraordinary  circumstances  that  has  ever 
been  recorded  in  history  occurred,  and  not  only  preserved 
Orleans  from  the  English,  but  also  greatly  contributed  to 
their  being  deprived  soon  after  of  all  their  late  conquests 
in  France. 

There  was  a  young  woman  of  the  name  of  Joan  d'Arc. 
who  was  servant  at  an  inn  at  Neufchatel  in  Lorraine, 
The  accounts  she  was  continually  hearing  from  the  trav- 
ellers who  came  to  the  inn,  of  the  distress  the  people  oi 
Orleans  were  reduced  to,  and  of  the  little  probability  there 
was  that  Charles  would  be  able  to  preserve  that  town,  or 
any  other  that  remained  to  him,  worked  up  her  mind  to 
such  a  pitch  of  sympathy  for  the  sufferers,  and  of  enthu 
siasm  for  the  cause  of  her  king,  that  she  fancied  herself 
delegated  by  God  to  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  and  restore 
to  Charles  the  kingdom  of  his  ancestors. 

Joan  imparted  what  she  considered  her  high  commis- 
sion to  the  governor  of  a  neighboring  town,  and  desired 
him  to  send  her  to  the  king.  At  first  the  governor  treated 
her  as  an  insane  enthusiast ;  but  at  last,  being  overcome 
by  her  importunities,  he  allowed  some  of  his  attendants  to 
conduct  her  to  the  royal  presence.  It  was  two  days  be- 
fore she  could  gain  admittance  ;  but  when  she  appeared 
before  the  king,  and  announced  her  errand,  he  and  his 
courtiers  were  so  much  astonished  by  her  appearance  and 
manner,  that  they  declared  themselves  convinced  of  her 
being  commissioned  by  Heaven  to  expe*  the  English  from 


Did  an  extraordinary  circumstance  preserve  tho  city  of  Orleans  i 

Who  was  Joan  of  Arc  '! 

How  did  the  French  king  and  his  nobles  regard  Joan  of  Arc  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  181 

France,  and  an  escort  was  ordered  to  cor  duel  her  to 
Orleans. 

A  T)  1490  The  hardships  to  which  Joan  had  been 
inured  had  qualified  her  to  bear  the  fa- 
tigue of  a  soldier's  life.  It  having  been  part  of  her  busi- 
ness at  the  inn  to  tend  the  horses,  she  was  already  an  ex- 
pert rider :  and  when  she  got  admitted  into  the  town,  she 
headed  the  troops,  and  made  several  sallies  against  the 
English,  in  which  she  was  always  victorkus. 

The  belief  of  her  sacred  mission,  while  it  revived  the 
low  spirits  of  her  countrymen,  depressed  those  of  th«* 
English  soldiers,  who  joining  in  the  general  superstition 
imagined,  when  they  were  combatting  with  her,  that  the} 
were  fighting  against  Heaven  :  and  Suffolk  was  obliged 
to  raise  the  siege  of  Orleans,  May  8,  1429. 

The  French,  improving  this  advantage,  laid  siege  to 
several  of  the  towns  which  were  held  by  the  English  ;  and 
in  all  these  sieges  the  Maid  of  Orleans,  as  Joan  was  now 
called,  behaved  with  the  intrepidity  of  an  experienced  sol- 
dier. On  one  occasion,  when  scaling  a  wall,  she  was 
wounded  in  the  head,  and  fell  from  the  top  of  the  ladder 
into  the  ditch  ;  but  without  regarding  the  hurt,  she  ex- 
claimed with  a  loud  voice,  "  Advance,  advance  my  coun- 
trymen !  the  Lord  hath  doomed  the  English  to  destruction." 
— Another  time  she  was  wounded  in  the  neck  by  an  arrow, 
and  drawing  out  the  arrow  herself,  she  retired  to  have  the 
wound  dressed,  and  then  returned  to  lead  on  the  troops. 

In  the  month  of  June,  the  French  and  English  armies 
met.  So  much  discord  and  confusion  prevailed  among  the 
English,  that  the  French  obtained  an  easy  victory.  These 
successes  greatly  increased  the  fame  and  influence  of  Joan : 
and  now,  having  raised  the  siege  of  Orleans,  she  insisted 
on  being  allowed  to  attempt  the  object  which  she  had  next 
at  heart,  that  of  crowning  Charles  at  Rheims  ;  and  in  this 
attempt  also  she  succeeded,  although  the  country  aboul 
Rheims  was  for  the  most  part  in  possession  of  the  eremy 


What  har1.  been  the  occupation  of  Joan  of  Arc  ? 
What  weie  the  achievements  of  Joan  of  Arc  ? 

Were  the  French  armies  victorious  under  the   inrluence  of  Joan,  and 
r.nv-  did  she  crown  her  enterprise  ? 


182  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

When  the  ceremony  of  the  ccronation  was  over,  Joan 
announced  that  she  had  fulfilled  her  mission  :  and  falling 
at  the  king's  feet,  besought  him  to  permit  her  to  return 
to  her  former  station.  The  king  denied  her  request,  and 
constrained  her  to  remain  with  the  troops  ;  but  as  a  re- 
ward for  what  she  had  done  (being  too  poor  to  give  her  a 
more  substantial  one,)  he  ennobled  her  and  her  family  by 
the  name  of  "  Des  Lys." 

During  these  events  the  duke  of  Bedford  was  not  idle: 
out  his  military  skill  and  policy  could  do  little  to  stem  the 
torrent  that  was  now  rapidly  leading  back  the  French  from 
their  foreign  conquerors  to  their  rightful  king.  He  hop 
ed,  by  having  the  young  Henry  also  crowned,  to  counter 
act  the  effect  of  Charles'  coronation:  but,  though  the 
ceremony  took  place  at  Paris  with  great  parade  and  pomp, 
it  had  no  effect  upon  the  hearts  of  the  French  people,  who 
were  only  drawn  the  more  towards  their  own  king  by 
seeing  another  assume  those  honors  that  ought  to  have 
been  his. 

On  the  first  unexpected  turn  of  fortune,  the  French  com- 
manders had  been  willing  to  give  all  the  honor  of  their 
success  to  Joan ;  but  after  a  time  they  became  jealous  of 
her  fame  :  and  ore  day,  when  some  troops  under  her  com- 
mand were  repulsed  near  Compeigne,  and  obliged  to  re- 
treat into  the  town,  the  governor  admitted  all  the  party 
except  poor  Joan,  who,  it  is  said,  wTas  purposely  shut  out. 
Being  thus  left  alone  amidst  a  host  of  enemies,  she  was 
pulled  from  her  horse  and  taken  prisoner. 

It  is  with  sorrow  that  we  retrace  the  short  remainder  of 
this  heroic  woman's  life.  The  treatment  she  received 
from  the  duke  of  Bedford  and  his  council  is  a  lasting  stain 
upon  the  memories  of  men,  who,  as  soldiers,  Englishmen, 
and  Christians,  should  have  shown  humanity  and  justice 
rowards  her.  She  was  burnt  alive  in  the  market-place  at 
Rouen ;  and  Charles,  wno  owed  s:>  much  to  her  services 
r.ade  no  effort  to  save  her. 


How  lid  Charles  VII.  recompense  Joan  ? 

How  did  the  duke  of  Bedford  concert  measures  on  the  pait  cf  the 
Knglish  ? 
Did  Joan  of  Arc  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  English  ? 
Did  the  duke  of  Bedford  treat  Joan  with  humanity  ? 


ENGLISH   HlS'iOKY.  3  83 

\  1")  l4Tr  ^e  duke  of  Burgundy  withdrew  from 
his  alliance  with  the  English,  and  a 
solemn  peace  was  ratified  between  him  and  Charles  ut 
Arras ;  an  event  that  was  celebrated  througl  out  France 
with  transports  of  joy,  but  which  caused  such  deep  vexa- 
tion in  the  duke  of  Bedford  as  to  occasion  his  death. 

His  death  was  a  serious  loss  to  the  English,  and  not 
only  in  regard  to  their  affairs  in  France,  but  also  in  regard 
to  the  government  at  home  ;  as  he  had  often  quelled,  by 
his  influence  and  authority,  the  disagreements  between  the 
duke  of  Gloucester,  who  was  the  regent  of  England,  and 
the  cardinal  Beaufort,  who  had  now  the  principal  care  of 
the  young  king. 

The  duke  of  Bedford's  death  opened  a  fresh  subject  ot 
contention,  in  the  choice  to  be  made  a  new  regent  of 
France ,  and  while  the  English  council  was  disputing  who 
should  be  appointed  to  that  office,  Charles  got  possession 
of  Paris,  and  of  many  other  important  places.  The  duke 
of  York  was  at  last  appointed  to  the  regency. 

The  duke,  when  he  arrived  in  France,  found  affairs 
there  in  a  very  declining  state,  and  only  supported  by  the 
bravery  and  exertions  of  lord  Talbot,  who  was  now  the 
sole  survivor  of  Henry  the  Fifth's  brave  band  of  warriors. 
In  1438,  a  dreadful  famine  and  pestilence  raged  at  Eng- 
land and  France,  and  almost  occasioned  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  :  and  a  negotiation  for  peace  was  entered  into, 
which  the  duchess  of  Burgundy,  from  truly  Christian  mo- 
tives, labored  heartily  to  promote. 

This  good  princess  was  daughter  of  the  king  of  Portu- 
gal, and  grand-daughter  of  John  of  Gaunt :  but  some 
trifling  difference  on  the  subject  of  doing  homage,  made 
her  good  offices  of  no  effect,  and  prevented  an  end  being 
yet  put  to  a  war,  which  had  desolated  France  and  ex- 
hausted England  for  twenty-five. years. 

*  D  -Man  After  some  little  interval  the  war  was  re- 
newed with  vigor  on  both  sides,  but  the 


When  did  the  duke  of  Bedford  die  ? 

Was  the  death  of  Bedford  a  loss  to  the  English  nation,  and  why  t 
Who  was  made  regent  of  France  ? 

What  circumstances  led  to  overtures  of  reconciliation  between  Franco. 
and  England  I 

What  pi  evented  peace  at  this  time  ? 


184  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

duke  of  Orleans,  after  a  tedious  and  melancholy  captivity, 
which  had  lasted  ever  since  the  battle  of  Azincourt,  ro 
gained   his  liberty  and  returned  home;  and,  in  1444,  he 
and  the  duchess  of  Burgundy  procured  a  truce  for  six 
years  between  the  two  countries. 

Hitherto  Henry  VI.  has  been  almost  entirely  out  of 
sight.  In  fact  he  would  have  been  very  glad  to  have  re- 
mained so:  for,  being  of  a  timid  and  quiet  disposition,  he 
was  unfit  for  the  cares  of  royalty.  He  was  of  a  gentle  and 
humane  disposition,  but  from  the  inferiority  of  his  under- 
standing was  only  fit  to  be  a  passive  instrument  in  the 
hands  of  others. 

Henry  was  in  his  twenty-fourth  year,  when  cardinal 
Beaufort,  chiefly  for  the  sake  of  thwarting  the  duke  ol 
Gloucester,  who  wished  the  king  to  make  some  more  ad- 
vantageous alliance,  contrived  his  marriage  with  Marga- 
ret of  Anjou.  Gloucester,  as  if  he  had  forseenthe  mise- 
ries wrhich  this  fatal  union  was  to  bring  upon  the  country, 
did  all  in  his  power  to  prevent  it.  But  his  efforts  only 
made  Beaufort  and  his  party  the  more  eager  to  bring  it 
about,  and  the  marriage  took  place  in  1445.  Instead  ol 
the  king's  receiving  any  dower  with  his  bride,  he  agreed 
to  give  up  a  large  tract  of  Maine  and  Anjou  to  her  father. 

Margaret  was  a  woman  of  a  high  spirit  and  a  vindictive 
temper.  She  never  forgave  the  duke  of  Gloucester  for  the 
opposition  he  had  made  to  her  marriage,  and  came  to  Eng- 
land vowing  vengeance  against  him  in  her  heart.  She 
found  willing  associates  in  cardinal  Beaufort  and  the  duke 
of  Suffolk,  who  had  already,  by  their  machinations,  involved 
Gloucester's  wife,  Eleanor  Cobham,  in  a  charge  of  witch- 
craft, and  caused  her  to  be  sentenced  to  perpetual  impri- 
sonment in  the  Isle  of  Man. 

Beaufort  and  Suffolk  entered  with  the  }ueen  into  a 
wicked  confederacy  to  accuse  Gloucester  of  high  treason 
but  found  it  impossible  to  substantiate  any  actual  charge 
against  him.  He  was,  notwithstanding,  imprisoned,  and 
rioon  afterwards  was  found  dead  in  his  bed. 


What  was  the  character  of  Henry  VI.  ? 

Who  promoted  Henry's  marriage — with  whom,  and  with  what  retsnU? 
What  were  the  disposition  and  conduct  of  the  <iueen  of  Hemy  VI.  ? 
Into  what  conspiracy  dm  Margaret  enter  1 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  185 

If  Margaret  was  really  accessary  to  this  horrid  deed, 
ehe  was  fully  punished.  Gloucester's  death,  was  in  fact, 
her  greatest  misfortune  :  for,  had  he  lived,  his  ability,  his 
integrity,  and  his  great  popularity,  would  probably  have 
preserved  the  royal  family  from  those  calamities  that  after- 
wards befel  them.  Cardinal  Beaufort  did  not  live  to  see 
the  evils  he  had  helped  to  bring  on  the  country,  and  died 
soon  after  Gloucester,  in  1447. 

The  queen  and  Suffolk  now  managed  every  thing  their 
own  way,  and  by  their  violent  and  rapacious  conduct  made 
themselves  more  and  more  abhorred.  While  Gloucester 
lived,  they  had  not  ventured  to  acknowledge  the  agree- 
ment that  had  been  made  to  give  up  Maine  and  Anjou  to 
Margaret's  father.  And  knowing  that  the  duke  of  York, 
who  acquitted  himself  with  great  wisdom  and  prudence  in 
the  regency  of  France,  would  never  consent  to  the  execu 
tion  of  a  measure  so  ruinous  to  the  English  cause,  they 
recalled  him,  and  gave  the  regency  to  Beaufort,  duke  ol 
Somerset,  nephew  to  the  cardinal. 

Suffolk  and  Margaret  had  soon  reason  to  repent  of  this 
unwise  measure.  For  York,  who  had  hitherto  been  a 
man  of  strict  loyalty,  feeling  himself  greatly  injured,  now 
meditated  on  a  high  revenge,  that  of  asserting  his  own 
right  to  the  crown.  By  his  father  he  was  descended  from 
Edward  the  Third's  youngest  son.  From  his  mother, 
who  was  the  last  of  the  Mortimers,  he  inherited  the  claim 
of  that  family  from  Lionel,  second  son  of  the  same  king. 
John  of  Gaunt,  from  whom  Henry  the  Sixth  was  descend- 
ed, was  Edward's  third  son.  Therefore  York,  in  right  of 
his  mother,  had  certainly  a  superior  claim  to  the  throne. 
He  kept  his  design  secret  for  some  time,  lying  in  wait  for 
an  opportunity  of  forwarding  them. 

A    D   1450      ^e   Queen  and    Suffolk,  by  their  mis- 
management, lost  the  whole  of  Norman 
'ly ;  and  the  popular  indignation  against  them  became  so 
treat,  that  the  parliament  committed  Suffolk  to  the  Tower, 


Was  the   duke  of  Gloucester's  death  a  misfortune    to  Queeu    Mar 
tpret  ? 
Why  was  the  duke  of  York  recalled  to  England  * 
In  what  enterprise  did  York  enga  ;e  ? 
Whf\t  was  the  dea  h  of  Suffolk  / 
9 


186  ENGLISH    HISTORY, 

and  tried  him  for  high  treason.  The  queen  contrived  that 
lie  should  be  only  sentenced  to  a  five  years'  banishment 
Rut  the  resentment  of  his  enemies  was  not  to  be  so  easily 
satisfied.  He  was  pursued  from  Harwich,  where  he  had 
embarked,  and  overtaken  before  he  had  reached  the  oppo- 
site shore.  Being  brought  to  Dover  his  head  was  struck 
off  on  the  side  of  a  small  boat,  and  his  body  was  left  on 
the  beach,  where  it  was  found  by  his  chaplain,  who  con 
veyed  it  to  be  buried  at  Wingfield  in  Suffolk. 

The  unsettled  state  of  the  country  now  showed  itself  in 
Lumults  and  insurrections.  The  most  formidable  was  one 
that  broke  out  in  Kent, headed  by  a  man  named  Jack  Cade, 
who  defeated  an  army  of  15,000  of  the  king's  troops  a; 
Sevenoaks ;  and,  elated  by  this  victory,  advanced  to  Lon- 
don. Entering  the  city,  he  put  to  death  the  sheriff  and 
several  nobles,  and  striking  with  his  staff  what  is  called 
London  stone,  said,  "  now  am  I  master  of  London." 

Cade's  triumph  did  not  last  long,  for  lord  Scales  with  a 
strong  body  of  men,  soon  drove  out  both  him  and  his  rab- 
ble ;  and,  a  pardon  being  offered  to  all  who  would  return 
to  their  homes.  Cade  soon  found  himself  without  a  single 
follower.  For  a  short  time  he  wandered  about  in  disguise 
but  was  at  last  found  lurking  in  a  garden  at  Rothfield  in 
Sussex,  where  he  wras  killed  by  Alexander  Eden,  a  gentle 
man  of  Kent. 

A  D  14"1  Calais  was  all  that  remained  to  the  Eng- 
lish in  France.  The  venerable  Talbot, 
now  in  his  80th  year,  obtained  permission  to  make  a  last 
effort  for  the  recovery  of  Guienne.  He  landed  at  Bordeaux, 
Oct.  17,  1452,  and  for  a  time  success  attended  him  :  but  on 
July  23,  1453,  this  brave  veteran  was  killed  in  an  attack 
on  the  French  camp  at  Chatillon  ;  and  his  son,  Lord  Lisle, 
refusing  to  comply  with  his  father's  entreaties  that  he 
would  fly  and  save  himself,  was  slain  fighting  by  his  side. 

The  duke  of  Somerset  now  returned  to  England,  and 
became  the  queen's  adviser  and  favorite.  His  misconduct 
in  France  had  made  him  very  unpopular,  and  all  eyes 
naturally  looked  up  to  the  duke  of  York,  who  had  acquit- 

VThat  rebellion  broke  out  at  this  time  ? 

What  was  the  end  of  Jack  Cade  ? 

What  possessions  in  France  remained  to  the  English  in  1451  ? 

Who  was  made  protector  cf  England,  and  wh/  7 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  187 

ted  himself  so  well  during  his  regency.  In  145  i,  the  king 
sunk  into  a  stale  of  total  bodily  and  mental  weakness 
The  duke  of  York  was  on  this  made  protector  of  the  king- 
dom ;  and  the  first  use  he  made  of  his  power  was  to  put 
Somerset  in  prison.  The  king  soon  after  recovered  his 
reason,  and  then  Somerset  was  set  at  liberty,  and  York 
displaced  from  the  protectorship. 

.  -pv  *  4  -  r  The  animosity  between  these  two  nobles 
soon  afterwards  threw  the  whole  nation 
into  a  ferment.  They  both  assembled  their  friends  and 
vassals,  and  met  at  St.  Alban's,  where  a  desperate  battle 
was  fought,  in  which  Somerset  was  killed,  and  the  duke 
of  York  was  completely  victorious.  The  king,  whom 
Somerset  had  dragged  much  against  his  will  into  the  bat- 
tle, was  wounded,  and  took  refuge  in  the  house  of  a  tan- 
ner. Here  the  duke  of  York  found  him,  and  falling  upon 
his  knees  before  him,  declared  himself  his  loyal  subject, 
and  ready  to  obey  his  commands.  "  If  so,"  said  the  king, 
"  then  stop  the  pursuit  and  slaughter." 

The  use  which  was  made  by  the  duke  of  York,  of  this 
single  victory  was  marked  with  the  greatest  gentleness 
and  moderation.  He  conducted  Henry  to  London,  and 
treated  him  with  every  mark  of  submission  and  respect. 
However,  notwithstanding  York's  professions  of  loyalty, 
under  pretence  of  freeing  the  king  from  evil  counsel- 
ors, he  continued  to  carry  on  a  civil  war  against  him ; 
and  the  battle  of  St.  Alban's  was  followed  by  many  others, 
which  were  fought  with  various  success  between  the  two 
parties. 

At  last  the  duke  declared  his  secret  views  on  the  crown 
itself,  and  on  this  many  who  had  joined  him  because  they 
supposed  him  to  be  contending  solely  for  the  public  good, 
deserted  his  standard.  He,  seeing  himself  suddenly  aban- 
doned, retired  for  a  time  into  Ireland.  Nevil,  earl  of  War- 
wick, a  very  powerful  nobleman,  and  brother  to  the  duchebfc 
of  York,  assembled  a  body  of  25,000  men,  and  obtained 


What  nobleman  engaged  in  hostility,  and   how  did  the  duke  of  YorV 
teat  the  king? 

Does  it  appear  that  the  .oyalty  of  York  was  sincere  ? 

Flow  did  York  prosecute  his  design  to  obtain  the  crown  of  England  ' 


188  English  ursTom. 

at  Northampton  so  great  a  A-ictory  over  the  royalist*  that 
they  fled  in  all  directions. 

The  queen  and  her  son,  the  prince  of  Wales,  were  oblig- 
ed to  fly  with  a  few  attendants,  and  escaped  with  difficul- 
ty into  Scotland,  where  they  were  received  with  great 
kindness,  by  the  young  king,  James  III.,  and  were  soon 
after  joined  by  the  duke  of  Exeter  and  others  of  the  king's 
friends,  who  now  began  to  be  called  Lancastrians ',  and  the 
wars  that  ensued  between  the  Yorkists  and  Lancastrians 
are  called  in  history,  the  wars  of  York  and  Lancaster. 
The  earl  of  Warwick,  after  the  battle  of  Northampton,  had 
found  the  king  sitting  alone  in  his  tent,  and  carried  him 
in  triumph  to  London. 

The  duke  of  York  now  returned  to  England,  and  laid 
before  the  parliament  his  claim  to  the  crown.  That  he 
was  the  direct  heir  of  Edward  III.  could  not  be  denied, 
but  the  principle  of  keeping  the  succession  in  the  direct 
line  was  not  invariable,  or,  at  least,  was  not  always  strictly 
attended  to  ;  and  the  parliament  was  unwilling  to  dethrone 
the  reigning  king.  It  was  therefore  determined,  after 
many  warm  debates,  that  Henry  should  continue  on  the 
throne  during  his  life,  but  that,  on  his  death,  the  duke  oi 
York  and  his  heirs  should  succeed  instead  of  the  prince  of 
Wales,  the  king's  only  child. 

Margaret  was  not  of  a  disposition  calmly  to  see  her  son 
thus  set  aside.  By  great  exertions  she  contrived  to  collect 
a  body  of  20,000  men,  consisting  chiefly  of  borderers, 
whom  she  enticed  into  her  service  by  the  promise  of  giv- 
ing them  the  plunder  of  the  fertile  lands  of  England 
With  this  army  she  proceeded  towards  London,  and  ai 
Wakefield  was  met  by  the  duke  of  York,  who,  not  aware 
of  the  number  of  her  forces,  had  with  him  only  5000  men 

A    D    1 A  CO      York  wished  to  have  remained  on  the  de- 
fensive in  Sandal  Cattle,  near  Wakefield 
till  his  son  Edward  should  arrive  with  a  reinforcement 
but  by  the  advice  of  the  earl  of  Salisbury  he  changed  his 


What  became  of  the  king  and  his  family  at  this  time  ? 
How   did    the  parliament   of   Eng'and  settle  the  succession  to  the 
;iown  ? 
Did  the  queen  submit  to  the  parliamentary  decision  ? 
Where  was  'hr  dvke  of  York  killed  i 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  189 

plan,  and  on  the  30th  of  December,  marcned  in  i  rder  of 
battle  to  meet  the  enemy  ; — a  fatal  determination,  for  his 
little  army  was  totally  defeated.  He  himself  was  among 
the  first  who  fell,  and  the  spot  where  he  was  slain  is  still 
fenced  ofFin  the  corner  of  a  field  near  Sandal. — Richard, 
duke  of  York,  had  many  great  and  good  qualities,  and  his 
death  was  sincerely  lamented  by  all  those  who  had  taken 
up  his  cause. 

York  left  three  sons,  Edward,  George,  and  Richcrd,  and 
three  daughters.  Another  son,  Edmund,  who  was  earl  of 
Rutland,  a  beautiful  boy  of  twelve  years  of  age,  was  killed 
on  the  same  day  with  his  father,  being  butchered  by  lord 
Clifford  on  Wakefield  bridge,  where  a  small  chapel,  which 
is  still  standing,  was  afterwards  built,  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  that  bloody  deed. 

Margaret,  equally  merciless  in  victory  as  she  had  been 
undaunted  in  defeat,  sent  the  earl  of  Salisbury,  and  many 
other  knights  and  gentlemen,  to  Pontefract,  where  they 
were  beheaded  without  a  trial.  She  caused  the  head  of 
the  duke  of  York  to  be  stuck  on  the  gates  of  York,  with  a 
paper  crown  on  it.  The  queen  then  set  forwards  to  Lon- 
don ;  and  the  borderers  fully  availed  themselves  of  their 
license  to  plunder,  for  they  pillaged  and  burnt  every  church 
and  dwelling,  marking  their  way  by  fire  and  devastation. 

A  D  I4fil  ^^e  ear^  °^  Warwick  hastened  to  meet 
the  queen,  taking  with  him  the  poor  pas- 
sive king.  The  two  armies  met  at  St.  Alban's,  which  was 
a  second  time  the  scene  of  a  bloody  battle.  The  Lancas- 
trians obtained  the  victory,  and  Warwick  fled  from  the 
field,  leaving  the  king  behind,  who  rejoiced  to  be  restored 
to  the  queen  and  his  son.  Margaret,  however,  notwith- 
standing this  victory, finding,  as  she  advanced  nearer  Lon- 
don, that  the  party  of  the  Yorkists  was  stronger  than  she 
had  expected,  was  obliged  to  retreat  again  into*  the  North. 

Edward,  the  young  duke  of  York,  after  obtaining  a  vic- 
tory over  the  Lancastrians  at  Mortimer's  Cross,  near 
Hereford,  entered  London  on  the  3d  of  March,  and  was 
proclaimed  king  with  the  loudest  acclamations  of  the  popu- 


VV  hat  children  did  the  duke  of  York  leave? 
How  did  Margaret  conduct  herself  at  this  time  ? 
"What  occurred  at  the  second  buttle  of  St.  Albuna  T 
Who  was  crowned  kir.  *  of  England  in  14C1  ? 


liJO  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

lace.  The  next  day  he  went  in  solemn  procession  to 
Westminster  Hall,  where  he  took  his  seat  on  the  throne, 
and  received  the  homage  of  the  nobles  who  we^e  present. 
— Henry  the  Sixth  lived  many  years  after  this  event. 

Henry  "VI.,  notwithstanding  the  feebleness  of  his  cha- 
racter, was  not  without  moral  worth,  and  his  imperfec4. 
virtues  entitle  his  memory  to  respect  while  his  misfortunes 
excite  pity.  Though  Henry  VI.  was  a  very  insignificant 
king,  he  was,  as  a  man,  amiable,  well-meaning,  and  pious. 
Indeed,  an  old  historian  says  of  him,  that  "  there  never 
was  a  more  holy,  nor  a  better  creature  ;  a  man  of  a  meek 
spirit,  and  a  simple  wit,  preferring  peace  to  war,  and  rest 
to  business,  and  honesty  before  profit.  He  wasgovernei 
of  those  he  should  have  ruled,  and  bridled  of  those  he 
should  have  sharply  spurred." 


History  treats  of  something  besides  wars  ;  the  wisdom 
and  folly,  the  virtues  and  vices  of  a  nation  appear  in  do- 
mestic manners,  in  religious  faith  and  worship,  and  in  the 
transaction  of  civil  affairs.  Belief  in  witchcraft  and  love 
of  war  were  among  the  follies  of  the  age  we  are  describ 
ing.  There  are  no  witches  in  reality  ;  but  it  was  one  oi 
the  vulgar  superstitions  of  those  ignorant  times  to  believe 
that  God  permitted  his  all-wise  decrees  to  be  influenced 
by  the  malevolent  feelings  of  particular  persons,  who  were 
called  witches  and  sorcerers,  and  were  falsely  supposed  to 
have  the  power  of  destroying  life  and  health  by  their  spells 
or  artifices. 

It  appears  in  the  history  of  all  nations,  that  during  sea- 
sons of  the  greatest  ignorance  and  public  calamity  there 
are  causes  at  work  to  make  men  wiser.  Thus,  when  in- 
nocent persons  are  burnt  by  ignorant  and  cruel  men  for  the 
imputed  crime  of  witchcraft,  those  who  witness  the  punish- 
ment, naturally  inquire  if  there  is  such  a  crime  in  reality, 
and  they  discover  that  there  is  not,  therefore  they  cease 


What  were  the  virtues  of  Henry  VI.  ? 
What  besides  war  does  history  treat  of  ? 
What  is  v\  itchcraft  ? 

Does  Providence   appoint  natural   means  to  enlighten  ignorance  and 
reform  error,  and  what  example  may  bo  given  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  191 

from  persecuting  supposed  witches, and  indeed  disbelieve 
entirely  that  there  are  any. 

Jn  the  same  way,  when  a  country  is  desolated  by  a 
bloody  war  the  thinking  people  inquire,  which  is  better- 
Peace  or  war  ? — and  at  length  they  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  peace  is  better,  and  should  be  cherished.  Also,  when 
arbitrary,  or  feeble  princes  misgovern  a  nation,  "  the 
thoughtful  and  the  free"  deliberate,  and  determine  that 
many  men,  the  representatives  of  a  whole  people,  are  wiser 
than  one  man,  and  can  rule  a  nation  better  than  one,  and 
others,  the  mere  tool  of  tha,  one — so  wise  government,  and 
civil  order  grow  up  out  of  despotism.  Notwithstanding 
the  foreign  wars,  and  civil  discord  of  England,  the  princi- 
ples of  better  government  were  always  in  operation,  as  the 
progressive  power  of  the  English  parliament  will  serve  to 
show. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  the  First,  the  parliament  had 
little  else  to  do  but  to  grant  supplies  for  the  purpose  oi 
carrying  on  the  king's  wars.  As  the  necessities  and  im- 
portance of  the  nation  increased,  so  did  the  power  of  the 
parliament ;  and  succeeding  kings,  whatever  laws  they 
might  make,  could  not  establish  them  till  they  were  rati- 
fied by  the  parliament.  In  Richard  the  Second's  reign, 
these  functions  were  reversed  :  the  parliament  made  the 
laws,  and  the  king  sanctioned  them. 

The  reigns  of  the  Lancastrian  kings  proved  favorable 
to  the  liberty  of  the  people  ;  for  the  first  two  monarchs  of 
that  family,  conscious  of  the  weakness  of  their  own  title, 
and  how  much  they  owed  to  the  good  will  of  the  people, 
were  naturally  inclined  to  make  concessions  to  them  ;  and 
it  was  during  this  period  that  the  power  of  the  parliament 
became  confirmed. 

Though  the  constitution,  government,  and  laws  of  Eng- 
land had  not  then  arrived  to  that  degree  of  perfection  which 
they  have  since  attained,  yet  they  were  even  then  better 


By  what  natural  cause  do  men  come  to  seek  peace  rather  than  war  , 
and  free  rather  than  despotic  governments  '( 

What  was  the  primitive  function  of  the  English  parliament,  and  when 
was  it  a.tered  i 

Why  did  the  Lancastrian  kings  confirm  the  power  of  parliament? 

Was  the  political  constitution  of  England  favcrable  to  the  happinen? 
if  the  nation  in  the  fifteenth  century  1 


192  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

than  those  of  any  other  country  in  Europe  ;  at  least,  if  we 
may  believe  Philip  de  Comines,  a  French  writer,  who 
wrote  the  memoirs  of  his  own  times,  (which  are  the  times 
we  are  now  speaking  of,)  and  who  says  :  "  In  my  opinion, 
of  all  the  states  in  the  world  that  I  have  seen,  England  is 
the  country  where  the  commonwealth  is  best  governed, 
and  the  people  least  oppressed  " 

During  the  civil  wars,  "he  sufferings  of  many  thousands 
of  individuals,  must  doubtless  have  been  very  great ;  but 
the  laws  and  constitution  remained  unchanged :  and  the 
cause  of  freedom  having  once  taken  root,  strengthened  by 
degrees,  till  the  liberty  of  the  people,  the  power  of  the  no- 
bles, and  the  dignity  of  the  crown,  became  at  length  hap- 
pily balanced. 

The  progress  of  the  British  navy  is  an  important  cause 
of  the  national  power  and  prosperity.  Henry  IV.,  who 
was  in  many  respects  a  politic  ruler,  strengthened  his  navy, 
and  checked  the  depredations  of  the  privateers,  which  had 
become  so  troublesome,  since  the  time  of  Edward  the 
Third,  as  greatly  to  impede  the  commerce  of  England. 
His  son,  Henry  V.,  was  as  victorious  by  sea  as  by  land  ; 
and  while  he  and  the  duke  of  Bedford  lived,  England 
maintained  the  dominion  of  the  narrow  seas.  Then  Beau- 
champ,  earl  of  Warwick,  for  a  while,  kept  up  the  honor 
of  the  English  navy. 

These  wars  of  York  and  Lancaster  are  sometimes 
called  "  wars  of  the  Roses,"  because  tbe  Lancastrians 
used  a  red,  and  the  Yorkists  a  white  rose,  as  the  badge 
of  their  respective  parties. 

During  the  long  wars  of  York  and  Lancaster,  the  navy 
declined ;  but  again  revived  under  Edward  the  Fourth, 
who  not  only  was  an  encourager  of  commerce,  but  was 
also  a  sort  of  merchant  himself ;  for  he  had  many  trading 
vessels  of  his  own.  In  his  reign  the  fisheries  also  began 
to  be  much  attended  to,  so  that,  about  this  period,  many 
different  kinds  of  ships  were  employed. 


Di'J  the  civil  wars  overthrow  the  laws  of  England  ? 
Did  the  English  navy  flourish  under  the  Lancastrian  kings  ? 
During  the  civil  wars  and  in  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.,  what  v.ap  ditf 
prosperity  of  naval  affairs  and  commerce  in  England? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  193 

CHAPTER    XXI. 

EDWARD   IV. 
Years  after  Cnrist,  HG1-1483/] 


THE  EARL  OF  SALISBURY, 

Who  was  killed  at  the  siege  of  Orleans,  1-128. 

Edward  was  scarcely  nineteen  years  old,  when  lie  found 
himself,  almost  beyond  his  own  expectations,  thus  suddenly 
placed  upon  the  throne.  He  was  brave,  active,  and  enter- 
prising, with  a  capacity  far  beyond  his  years,  and  was  ex- 
ceedingly handsome.  But  these  attractive  and  brilliant 
qualities  were  blackened  by  the  worst  vices.  In  peace 
he  revelled  in  every  kinl  of  self-indulgence,  and  in  war, 
was  sanguinary  beyond  all  who  had  gone  before  him.  He 
rold  Comines,  a  writer  of  that  time,  that  he  had  been  in 
nine  battles,  in  eight  of  which  he  fought  on  foot,  and  had 
never  been  defeated. 

The  first  battle  which  was  fought  after  he  became  king 
v/as  at  Towton,  a  village  between  Ferry-bridge  and  Tad* 

What  was  the  character  of  Edward  IV.  1 

Was  the  Lancastrian  contest  contin-ied,  and  whaf  occunert  nenr  T?.d 
master  ? 


194 


ENGLISH  HISTORY. 


caster.  Nevei  did  two  mighty  armies  encounter  each  othei 
with  more  inveterate  hatred ;  and  the  orders  of  the  com- 
manders on  each  side  were  to  take  no  prisoners,  and  givt 
no  quarter.  The  battle  lasted  from  early  in  the  morning 
till  late  in  the  evening,  and  was  one  of  the  most  bloody 
ever  fought  in  Britain. 

The  snow  fell  thickly,  but  the  Yorkists  had  their  backs 
to  the  storm,  while  the  Lancastrians,  who  faced  it,  were 
greatly  incommoded  by  it.  The  latter,  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  at  length  gave  way,  and,  flying  from  the  field, 
were  pursued  with  great  slaughter.  When  the  news  of 
this  defeat  reached  York,  Henry  and  his  family,  who  were 
there  waiting  the  result,  fled  with  the  utmost  precipitation 
to  Scotland. 

A  parliament,  which  was  now  summoned  to  settle  the 
government,  confirmed  Edward's  title  to  the  throne.  The 
new  king  satiated  his  revengeful  temper  by  many  bloody 
executions,  and  every  Lancastrian  who  fell  into  his  hands 
was  condemned  as  a  traitor.  To  strengthen  his  own 
party,  he  conferred  honors  and  titles  on  all  his  friends 
Indeed  it  was  doubly  expedient  for  him  to  make  new  peers, 
since  the  late  exterminating  wars,  and  the  executions  which 
had  been  made  by  his  own  order,  had  greatly  reduced  the 
numbers  of  the  nobility.  He  created  his  brother  George, 
duke  of  Clarence,  and  his  brother  Richard,  duke  of  Glou- 
cester. 

In  the  meantime  queen  Margaret  made  two  voyages 
to  France,  in  hopes  of  obtaining  aid  from  thence.  At 
length  Louis  the  Eleventh,  who  had  succeeded  his  father 
Charles  VII.  in  1460,  supplied  her  with  a  small  body  of 
troops,  on  condition  that  she  should  give  Calais  up  to  him, 
if  she  ever  regained  the  crown  of  England.  With  these 
troops  she  advanced  from  Scotland,  and  took  the  castles  of 
Alnwick  and  Bamborough,  in  Northumberland.  But  her 
success  was  of  short  duration. 

Lord  Montacute,  brother  of  the  earl  of  Warwick,  gained 
a  victory  over  Margaret  at  Hedgeley  Moor,  April  25th 


What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Towton  ? 

Did  Edward  consult  parliament,  and  how  did  he  administer  govern- 
ment ? 

How  did  queen  Margaret  proceed  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  195 

1464  and  three  weeks  afterwards  he  gained  another  at 
Hexham,  which  was  so  decisive  that  Henry  was  only  saved 
by  the  swiftness  of  his  horse  from  being  made  prisoner. 
The  queen  and  her  son  sought  to  conceal  themselves  in  a 
wood ;  but  there,  losing  their  way,  they  fell  amongst  a 
gang  of  robbers,  who  took  from  them  every  thing  they 
had  that  was  valuable.  The  robbers  then  luckily  began  to 
quarrel  about  the  division  of  the  plunder,  which  gave  Mar- 
garet and  the  prince  an  opportunity  of  escaping  from  them. 

As  they  were  wandering  about  bewildered  in  the  wood, 
they  encountered  another  robber.  The  queen,  knowing 
that  both  flight  and  resistance  were  impossible,  went  boldly 
up  to  him,  and  presenting  her  son,  said, "  Behold,  my  friend, 
the  son  of  your  king  !  I  commit  him  to  your  protection  ;" 
which  appeal  so  wrought  upon  the  man,  that  he  led  them 
to  a  place  of  concealment,  where  they  remained  till  the 
pursuit  was  over.  He  then  conducted  them  to  the  sea- 
coast,  from  whence  they  made  their  escape  to  France. 

Henry,  meanwhile,  had  fled  into  Lancashire,  where  he 
was  with  difficulty  protected  by  his  friends  for  more  than  a 
year,  and  where  he  suffered  many  hardships  and  privations 
in  his  wanderings  from  one  place  of  concealment  to 
another.  In  July,  1465,  as  he  was  at  dinner  in  Wadding- 
ton  Hall,  he  was  betrayed  by  a  monk  to  sir  James  Harring- 
ton, who  conveyed  him  to  London,  and  resigned  him  into 
the  hands  of  his  great  enemy  the  earl  of  Warwick. 

Warwick  treated  him  with  the  utmost  indignity,  and 
tying  his  feet  in  the  stirrups,  as  if  he  had  been  a  criminal, 
compelled  him  to  ride  in  that  manner  three  times  round 
the  pillory,  while  tie  populace  were  by  proclamation  for- 
bilden  to  show  him  any  marks  of  respect  or  compassion. 

The  extreme  savager  ess  of  this  treatment,  serves  to  show 
the  inhumanity  of  the  age — a  great  nobleman  could  in- 
flict it  without  self-reproach  ;  and  a  civilized  people  could 
witness  these  indignities  offered  to  a  man,  and  a  king 


What  became  of  Henry  VI.,  and  Lis  queen  after  the  battle  of  Hex- 
ham ? 

What  presence  of  mind  was  exhibited  by  Margaret,  and  whither  did 
sh<»  escape  ? 

What  happened  to  king  Henry  ? 

How  did  Warwick  treat,  his  prisoner? 

What  is  shown  by  the  indignities  put  upon  Henry  VI.  ? 


196  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

without  displeasure.     Mankind  are  better    iow.     Henry 
was  committed  to  the  Tower. 

The  Lancastrians  were  now  reduced  to  so  much  distress, 
'.hat  many  of  the  most  distinguished  nobles  of  that  party 
were  absolutely  begging  their  bread  in  foreign  lands, 
while  the  Yorkists  were  revelling  in  their  forfeited  estates. 
These  estates  were  bestowed  so  as  to  create  the  most  su- 
perfluous wealth  to  the  new  proprietors,  while  the  rightful 
possessors  were  suffering  in  want — one  among  many  in- 
stances of  the  miseries  inflicted  by  arbitrary  princes. 

Edward  enriched  his  two  brothers  with  many  of  these  es 
t rites.  The  earl  of  Warwick  had  also  a  very  large  grant. 
This  nobleman  inherited  great  estates  from  his  ancestors, 
and  had  married  the  heiress  of  the  old  Beauchamp,  earl  of 
Warwick,  so  that  he  became  the  richest  subject  in  the 
kingdom.  On  his  different  estates  he  maintained  30,000 
people,  a  number  which  must  be  considered  the  more 
extraordinary,  as  the  whole  kingdom  did  not,  probably,  at 
this  time,  contain  much  more  than  2,300,000  souls,  not  the 
fifth  part  of  its  present  inhabitants. 

Edward  indulged  himself  in  all  the  luxuries  and  plea- 
sures to  which  his  disposition  strongly  inclined  him 
Sometime  before,  he  had  become  attached  to  Elizabeth 
Wydville,  the  widow  of  sir  John  Grey,  by  whom  she  had 
two  sons.  Edward  privately  married  this  lady,  though  he 
did  not  at  first  venture  to  declare  his  marriage.  The  court 
was  soon  filled  by  the  new  queen's  relations.  Her  father 
was  created  lord  Rivers.  Her  three  brothers  and  five  sis- 
ters were  all  raised  to  the  rank  of  nobility,  and  married  into 
the  greatest  families,  and  her  eldest  son  was  married  to 
the  king's  niece,  daughter  of  the  duke  of  Exeter. 

a   t\    i  Am      The  earl  of  Warwick,  who  had  been  de- 
A  D.   1469.       •         ,  . .,     . :         .  . 

sirousto  connect  the  king  with  some  pow- 
erful foreign  family,  was  exceedingly  indignant  at  his  im- 
politic mairiage,  an!  could  with  difficulty  conceal  his  dis- 
like of  the  queen  and  all  her  relations.     The  king's  two 


What  was  the  condition  of  the  two  parties  of  York  and  Ijancastcr'.' 

What  instance  is  given  of  the  wea.tn  bestowed  by  E  J  ward  on  his 
fy,voiites  ? 

Whom  did  the  king  marry,  and  how  did  he  favor  the  queer,  s  xehi 
tions  ? 

Willi  whom  did  Warwick  conspire  against  the  king  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  197 

brothers  also,  seeing  themselves  supplanted  by  these  new 
favorites,  felt  a  growing  antipathy  to  them  all.  The  duke 
of  Clarence,  who  had  married  Isabella,  Warwick's  eldest 
daughter,  conspired  with  his  father-in-law  against  the  king. 
They  at  first  retired  into  France,  where  they  were  soon 
joined  by  all  the  scattered  friends  of  the  house  of  Lancaster. 

Queen  Margaret,  who  with  her  son  had  been  living  in 
retirement  in  Lorraine,  seized  this  opportunity  of  again 
coming  forward,  and  cemented  the  union  she  now  made 
with  Warwick,  who  had  before  been  her  most  inveterate 
enemy,  by  the  marriage  of  the  young  prince,  her  son  with 
the  earl's  youngest  daughter  Anne.  And  it  was  concert- 
ed amongst  them  to  dethrone  Edward,  and  that  Warwick 
should  be  regent  of  England  during  the  life  of  Henry,  or 
till  his  son  prince  Edward  should  be  of  age,  and  that  in 
case  the  prince  should  die  without  children,  Clarence 
should  be  king  after  him. 

A  D  1 470  ^h^e  these  plans  were  forming,  Edward 
was  giving  himself  up  to  a  succession  of 
diversions.  When  Warwick  landed  at  Dartmouth,  Sept. 
1 3,  and  was  joined  by  numbers  of  disaffected  persons,  he 
was  taken  by  surprise.  With  great  hazard  he  and  the 
duke  of  Gloucester  escaped  in  a  trading  vessel  to  Fries- 
land.  They  had  embarked  with  so  much  haste  that  they 
were  unprovided  with  money  enough  to  pay  for  their  pas- 
sage, and  the  king  was  obliged  to  recompense  the  captain 
of  the  ship  by  giving  him  his  cloak.  The  queen  remain- 
ed in  England,  and  with  her  daughters  took  refuge  in  the 
Sanctuary  at  Westminster,  where  her  son,  afterwards  Ed- 
ward V.,  was  born. 

.  j)  ,471  Edward  being  gone,  and  the  Yorkists 
stunned  as  it  were  by  so  sudden  a  blow, 
tne  earl  of  Warwick  carried  ail  before  him.  The  poor  for- 
gotten Henry  was  now  dragged  from  his  prison,  and  once 
more  made  a  king.  This  restoration  lasted  only  a  few 
months ;  for  the  Yorkists  recovering  from  their  consterna- 
tion, Edward  returned  to  England,  and  regained  possession 
of  London,  and  again  committed  his  helpless  rival  to  tho 


How  was  it  resolved  to  restore  the  house  o.f  Lancaster  ? 
Was  Edwaid  IV.  obliged  to  leave  England? 
"Was  Henry  VI  restored  ? 


193  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Tower.  Warwick  collected  all  his  forces,  aid  marched  h 
haste  against  Edward,  who,  aware  of  his  movements,  ad- 
vanced to  meet  him. 

The  two  armies  approached  each  other  near  Barnet, 
April  12th,  and  in  the  night  time  the  fickle  Clarence  de- 
serted to  his  brother  with  12,000  men.  The  next  day  the 
fight  began,  and  the  advantage  was  undecided,  till  the  sol- 
diers of  Warwick  attacked  by  mistake  a  party  of  theii 
own  friends,  who,  thinking  they  were  betrayed,  immediate- 
ly fled.  This  threw  the  Lancastrians  into  confusion,  and 
Edward,  improving  the  advantage,  became  entire  master 
of  the  field.  The  great  earl  of  Warwick  died  covered 
with  wounds,  and  many  other  nobles  fell  with  him. 

Queen  Margaret  and  her  son  had  embarked  for  England 
on  March  the  4th,  but  had  been  tossed  about  by  contrary 
winds,  and  did  not  land  till  the  evening  of  the  day  on 
which  the  battle  of  Barnet  was  fought.  When  instead  of 
the  triumphant  return  they  had  anticipated,  they  found 
that  all  their  hopes  were  blasted  by  the  catastrophe  of  that 
fatal  day,  the  queen's  undaunted  spirit  forsook  her  for  the 
first  time.     She  sank  to  the  ground  and  fainted. 

When  she  revived,  she  fled  with  her  son  to  the  Sanc- 
tuary a-  Beaulieu  ;  and  intended  to  have  returned  imme- 
diately to  France.  But  some  of  the  dispersed  Lancastrians 
gathering  around  her,  she  was  persuaded  to  stay  and  make 
one  more  effort  to  regain  the  kingdom:  a  fatal  resolution, 
which  cost  the  lives  of  many  brave  men,  who  were  defeat- 
ed and  slain  in  a  battle  that  was  fought  at  Tewkesbury, 
on  the  3d  of  May. 

The  queen  and  the  young  prince  were  soon  after  taken 
prisoners,  and  thus  an  end  was  put  to  the  bloody  contest 
between  these  two  rival  families,  a  contest  which  had  last- 
ed eighteen  years,  and  had  cost  the  lives  of  sixty  princes 
of  the  royal  family,  above  one  half  of  the  nobles  and  prin- 
cipal gentry  of  the  kingdom,  and  100,000  of  the  common 
people. 

After  the  battle  of  Tewkesbury,  the  young  prince  Ed- 


Whfct  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Barnet  1 
How  did  Margaret  bear  the  defeat  of  Barnet  ? 
What  was  the  consequence  to  the  Lancastrians  of  the  battle  of  Tewkes- 


Wfiftt  became  of  Margaret  and  her  son 


ENGLISH   HISTORV.  19U 

tvard  was  brought  into  the  king's  presence,  who  asked  him 
how  he  dared  to  come  into  his  kingdom  in  arms.  He 
boldly  replied,  "  I  came  to  recover  my  father's  kingdom:'' 
upon  which  Edward  struck  him  on  the  face  with  his  gaunt- 
let, and  the  dukes  of  Clarence  and  Gloucester,  with  their 
attendants,  instantly  fell  upon  him  with  their  swords,  and 
killed  him.  Margaret  survived  her  son  nine  miserable 
years,  five  of  which  she  was  kept  prisoner  in  the  Tower. 
Louis  XI.  then  ransomed  her,  and  she  returned  to  Fiance, 
where  she  died  in  1480. 

Edward,  after  the  murder  of  the  prince,  returned  in  tri- 
umph to  London,  and  the  next  day  Henry  VI.  was  found 
dead  in  the  Tower.  The  manner  of  his  death  will  proba- 
bly ever  be  a  secret ;  but  there  is  a  suspicion  of  his  having 
been  murdered  by  the  duke  of  Gloucester.  By  the  death 
of  prince  Edward,  Anne,  daughter  of  the  earl  of  Warwick, 
was  now  a  widow. 

Gloucester,  though  his  hands  were  stained  with  the  blood 
of  her  husband,  resolved  to  marry  Anne  :  but  Clarence, 
who  had  married  her  eldest  sister,  wished  her  to  remain 
single,  that  he  might  secure  to  himself  the  whole  of  earl 
Warwick's  vast  estates,  and  contrived  to  secrete  her. 
Gloucester,  however,  discovered  and  immediately  married 
her. 

A  D  147"  Edward  made  preparations  for  a  war 
with  France,  and  landed  at  Calais  with 
30,000  men.  But  while  the  English  at  home  were  ex- 
pecting great  conquests  from  this  powerful  armament 
Edward,  who  was  now  grown  indolent,  and  fonder  of  plea- 
sure than  of  war,  suffered  himself  to  be  cajoled,  by  the 
cunning  of  Louis  the  Eleventh,  into  a  disgraceful  peace, 
and  accepted  of  a  large  sum  of  money  as  the  price  of  his 
return  to  England.  Louis  also  corrupted  the  integrity  of 
many  of  the  English  nobles,  and  bribed  them  by  rich  pre- 
sents and  pensions  to  be  favorable  to  the  interests  of  France. 

The  king  now  led  a  life  of  self-indulgence  and  luxury ; 

What  instance  of  cruelty  was  exhibited  by  Edward  IV.  and  his 
btothers  l 

Would  princes  act  thus  at  the  present  time  ? 

What  was  the  death  cf  Henry  VI.  ? 

Whom  did  the  duke  cf  Gloucester  many  ? 

What  exoedition  wa3  attempted  by  Edward,  and  how  did  it  termi- 
nal*! 


200  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

but  lie  had  one  secret  care  which  corrcded  all  his  tnjoy 
merits.  Although  the  family  of  Lancaster  had  been  in  a 
manner  extirpated,  one  distant  branch  still  remained 
Henry  Tudor,  earl  of  Richmond,  a  grandson  of  Owen  Tu- 
dor, and  descended,  by  his  mother,  from  John  of  Gaunt 
was  the  only  person  now  left  alive,  in  whose  veins  ran  any 
of  the  blood  of  the  Lancasters.  He  was,  therefore,  con 
sidered  as  the  representative  of  that  family. 

Richmond  had  been  brought  up  in  the  court  of  the  duke 
of  Bretagne,  who  protected  him  from  every  attempt  the 
king  of  England  made  to  get  him  into  his  power.  Edward 
promised  to  marry  the  young  Richmond  to  his  eldest 
daughter,  and  thus  to  unite  the  two  houses  of  York  and 
Lancaster  ;  and  by  this  promise  the  duke  was  prevailed  on 
to  send  him  to  England.  But  no  sooner  was  he  set  out, 
than  the  duKe,  beginning  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  Ed- 
ward's intentions,  sent  after  Richmond  and  brought  him 
back :  he  thus  probably  saved  him  from  destruction. 
A    D    1 4"*ft      Clarence  having  spoken  with  imprudent 

freedom  of  the  king,  Edward  appeared 
j^lad  to  seize  the  opportunity  of  getting  rid  of  a  brother 
whose  fickleness  and  petulence  were  continually  giving 
him  offence.  Clarence  was  impeached  and  condemned  to 
die  by  the  parliament ;  but,  as  a  royal  and  brotherly  fa- 
vor, the  king  allowed  him  to  choose  the  manner  of  his 
death.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  historians  when  they  grave- 
ly tell  us  that  he  desired  to  be  drowned  in  a  butt  of  malm- 
sey. He  left  a  son,  who  had  the  title  of  Warwick  from  his 
grandfather,  and  a  daughter,  afterwards  countess  of  Salis- 
bury. 

AD     MR*}      Edward  was  chiefly  employed  during  his 

latter  years  in  making  negotiations  with 
foreign  princes,  most  of  which  came  to  nothing.  In  his 
private  life  he  was  sunk  in  sloth  and  vice.  He  died  April 
9,  in  the  forty-first  year  of  his  age,  and  the  twenty -third  of 


Was  one  of  the  Lancasters  living  ? 

Where  was  the  ear*  of  Richmond,  and  why  was  he  prevented  fr«i 
§oing  to  England  ? 

On  what  account  was  the  dulse  cf  Clarence  impeached  and  condemn- 
ed ? 

When  die1  Edward  IV  die  and  what  was  his  family  ? 


ENGLISH  IIISTOm.  201 

ti;s  ieig-.i      He  married  Elizabeth  Wydviile,  and  left  two 
sons  and  five  daughters. 


It  is  proper  to  mention  in  this  place  mat  the  most  im 
portant  benefit  ever  conferred  by  these  useful  arts  upon 
mankind,  was,  during  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.,  extended 
to  England  from  the  continent.  This  was  nothing  less 
than  the  art  of  printing. 

The  invention  of  printing  is  of  uncertain  origin,  but  is 
generally  conceded  to  John  Faust  or  Faustus,  a  citizen  of 
Mentz  in  Germany  The  first  book  known  to  be  printed 
by  him  was  a  bibie  in  1450. 

The  honor  of  introducing  it  into  England  is  ascribed  to 
William  Caxton,  an  honest  citizen  and  mercer  of  London, 
who,  while  following  the  business  of  his  trade  in  Holland, 
had  heard  and  seen  much  of  this  new  discovery.  Being 
very  solicitous  of  making  so  valuable  an  art  known  in  Eng- 
land, he  established  himself  for  some  time  at  Cologne,  for 
the  purpose  of  learning  it. 

Though  Caxton  was  in  his  fifty-seventh  year,  he  applied 
himself  so  diligently  to  his  new  undertaking,  that  in  1471 
he  printed  a  book,  entitled  "  The  Recuie  of  the  History 
of  Troy."  He  then  came  to  England,  and  set  up  a  printing 
press.  Caxton  lived  till  1491,  and  printed  nearly  fifty  dif- 
ferent books,  most  of  them  translations  by  himself  from 
the  French.  Caxton  says  of  himself  that  he  was  a  "  rude 
and  simple  man."  Surely  he  was  the  greatest  benefactor 
of  his  age  and  country ! 

It  is  delightful  to  think  that  while  all  the  princes  and 
nobles  of  the  land  were  murdering  each  other  without  re- 
morse, there  was  this  excellent  person,  regardless  of  these 
destroyers  and  plagues  of  men,  patiently  introducing  among 
that  evil  and  unthankful  generation,  the  greatest  blessing 
divine  Providence  could  grant  them. 


What  important  benefit  was  conferred  upon  England  in  the  reign  oi 
SJward  IV.  ? 

Who  invented  printing,  and  when  ? 

Who  introduced  printing  into  England  ? 

What  were  the  labors  of  Caxtoa,  where  did  he  die,  und  how  should  Hi* 
uemory  be  regarded  I 


202  ENGLISH  HISTORY 


CHAPTER    XXII. 


EDWARD  V. 


[Years  after  Christ,   1433.] 

We  are  now  come  to  the  shortest  reign  and  the  most 
patheric  story  in  the  annals  of  England.  When  Edward 
IV.  died,  his  eldest  son  was  about  thirteen  years  old,  and 
was  at  Ludlow  castle,  under  the  care  of  his  uncle,  lord 
Rivers,  and  his  half-brother,  lord  Grey.  The  title  of  the 
family  of  Yo*k  to  the  crown  was  now  completely  estab- 
lished, and  no  objection  was  made  to  the  young  Edward's 
being  proclaimed. 

But  though  the  public  willingly  acknowledged  the 
young  prince,  there  was  amongst  his  nearest  relatives,  one 
who  had  long  marked  the  innocent  boy  for  destruction. 
This  person  was  his  uncle  Richard,  duke  of  Gloucester,  a 
prince  of  great  bravery  and  ability,  but  a  man  of  most  ex- 
ecrable selfishness,  deceitfulness,  and  cruelty.  It  was  to 
him  that  the  victories  of  Towton  and  of  Barnet  were  prin 
cipally  ascribed. 

Richard  had  long  formed  the  project  of  usurping  the 
crown,  and  had  cloaked  it  with  the  most  profound  dissimu- 
lation. His  first  step,  soon  after  his  brother's  death,  was 
to  impart  to  lord  Hastings  a  wish  to  remove  the  lord  Ri- 
vers and  Grey  from  about  the  person  of  the  young  king. 
Hastings,  a  loyal  and  honest  man,  but  who  wore  a  bitter 
enmity  to  the  queen  and  her  relations,  willingly  agreed  to 
second  this  design;  and  Richard  accompanied  by  Has- 
tings and  by  the  duke  of  Buckingham,  who  was  still  deep- 
er in  his  secrets,  set  out  with  a  numerous  train  to  meet 
the  king,  who  was  on  his  way  from  Ludlow  to  be  crowned 
at  London. 


Who  was  the  acknowledged  successor  of  Edward  IV.  ? 
Who  had  plotted  the  destruction  of  the  prince,  and  what  soil  of   mac 
vats  ho  ? 
Who  were  ene  complotters  of  Richard's  criminal  designs? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  203 

They  met  the  king  and  his  little  party  at  Stony  Strat- 
ford, where  the  lords  Grey  and  Rivers  waited  on  the  duke 
of  Gloucester,  and  passed  the  evening  with  him  in  convi 
vial  mirth  and  pleasantry,  unsuspicious  of  the  coming  evil 
The  next  morning,  they  and  two  other  gentlemen  of  the 
king's  retinue  Avere  seized  and  sent  to  Pontefract,  and  all 
the  rest  of  Edward's  attendants  were  dismissed,  and  for- 
bidden en  pain  of  death  to  come  near  the  court. 

The  young  king,  finding  himself  alone,  and  in  the  power 
of  his  uncle,  whom  he  had  been  early  taught  by  Ins  mother 
to  dread,  was  struck  with  grief  and  terror  ;  but  Gloucestei 
falling  on  his  knees,  assured  him  with  strong  professions 
of  loyalty  and  affection,  that  what  he  had  done  was  for  his 
preservation.  Edward  then  suffered  himself  to  be  soothed 
into  composure,  and  set  off  with  his  uncle  towards  London. 

There  the  news  of  these  violent  measures  arrived  before 
Gloucester  and  the  prince,  and  occasioned  great  alarm,  for 
no  one  knew  what  to  expect  from  such  a  strange  begin- 
ning. The  queen,  fearing  the  worst,  instantly  fled  into  the 
Sanctuary  at  Westminster,  taking  with  her  the  duke  of 
York,  then  about  seven  years  old,  and  her  five  daughters. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  Gloucester  conducted  his  nephew 
into  London,  riding  before  him  bareheaded,  and  saying  to 
the  people,  "  Behold  your  king !"  Two  days  after,  a  great 
council  was  held,  in  which  the  artful  duke  was  appointed 
Protector  of  the  king  and  kingdom.  Preparations  were 
begun  for  Edward's  coronation  on  the  22d  of  June  :  but 
on  the  13th  of  May,  during  the  meeting  of  the  council  at 
Westminster,  the  door  of  the  hall  was  suddenly  opened, 
and  a  party  of  armed  men,  the  tools  of  -the  cruel  duke  of 
Gloucester,  rushed  in,  crying  out,  "  Treason  !  treason  !" 

The  archbishop  of  York,  Morton,  bishop  of  Ely,  and  the 
lords  Stanley  and  Hastings,  who  were  all  now  hurried  ofl 
to  the  Tower,  and  committed  to  close  custody,  except  lord 
Hastings,  whom  Gloucester  pronounced  a  traitor,  and  com- 


How  were  the  young  king  and  his  relations  treated  ? 
Did  Gloucester  dissimulate  with  his  nephew  ? 
Whither  fled  the  young  king's  mother  and  her  children  ? 
How  were  preparations  for  the  coronation  commenced  and  intf  nu:> 
ted? 

How  was  Lord  Hastings  treated  ? 


204  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

manded  to  be  immediately  put  to  death.  He  was  only  per 
mitted  a  few  moments'  delay  to  confess  himself  to  a  priest, 
and  his  head  was  cut  off  on  a  log  of  wood  which  happened 
to  be  on  the  spot. 

On  the  same  day,  sir  Thomas  RatclifTe,  one  of  Richard's 
chief  confidants,  entered  Pontefract  with  5,000  men,  and 
without  any  trial,  beheaded  lord  Rivers  and  lord  Grey,  and 
their  two  fellow  prisoners.  The  death  of  lord  Rivers 
caused  much  lamentation,  for  he  was  the  most  accom 
plished  nobleman  of  his  time. 

Gloucester,  while  committing  these  acts  of  violence,  still 
kept  on  his  mask  of  loyalty.  He  declared  in  council  that 
it  would  be  highly  indecent  to  suffer  the  duke  of  York,  dur 
ing  the  ceremony  of  his  brother's  coronation,  to  remain  in 
the  Sanctuary,  a  place  where  thieves  and  murderers  found 
refuge.  The  archbishop  of  Canterbury  was  in  consequence 
sent  to  require  the  queen  to  surrender  her  young  son. 

Having  now  got  both  the  young  princes  into  his  power 
Gloucester  declared  to  the  people,  that  the  late  king  had 
been  married  to  another  lady  previously  to  his  marriage 
with  lady  Elizabeth  Wydville,  therefore  her  son  was  not 
the  legitimate  king ;  and  the  citizens  of  London  were  thus 
persuaded  to  offer  him  the  crown. 

Richard  at  first  affected  to  decline  it,  and  said  "his  love 
of  his  brother's  children  was  greater  than  his  love  of  a 
crown  :"  but  when  the  duke  of  Buckingham  urged  the 
suit,  Richard  pretended  to  overcome  his  reluctance,  and 
accepted  the  offered  gift.  He  was  the  same  day  pro- 
claimed king,  and  was  soon  after  crowned.  The  same 
preparations  that  had  been  made  for  the  coronation  ol 
Edward  V.  served  for  that  of  Richard  III. 

It  was  long  before  the  fate  of  the  two  unfortunate  young 
princes  was  known  with  certainty,  but  they  never  appeared 
more.  Some  years  afterwards  two  people  owned  them- 
selves to  have  been  concerned  in  their  murder,  and  said  that 


Wha;  were  the  next  violent  measures  of  Richard's  adherents  ? 
Upon  what  pretence  did  Gloucester  get  the  young  king  into  his  poe- 
yession  ? 

By  what  falsehood  did  Gloucester  lay  claim  to  thi  crown  v 

Dil  Richard  pretend  to  refuse  the  crown,  and  when  was  he  crovvatd  J 

What  became  of  the  young  princes 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  205 

the  two  princes  had  been  suffocated  in  their  ted,  and  bu- 
ried at  the  foot  of  a  staircase  in  the  Tower. 

Edward  was  in  his  thirteenth  year  when  his  father  died, 
and  reigned  not  quite  three  months 


Mummeries.     From  a  MS.  of  Edward  the  Thvrd's  reign. 

The  troubled  times  of  England  it  seems,  did  not  much 
interrupt  the  popular  amusements.  It  has  been  mentioned 
that  the  English  nation  were  fond  of  noisy  sports.  We 
have  seen  the  early  Saxons  entertained  with  the  bards  and 
minstrels  ;  and  the  Normans  with  jousts  and  tournaments 
and  we  have  heard  that  the  baronial  halls  and  courts 
abounded  with  the  tricks  of  jugglers  and  buffoons. 

Dramatic  entertiinments,  representations  of  stories  by 
assumed  characters,  came  slowly  into  fashion  in  England, 
and  did  not  take  the  form  of  an  elegant  and  moral  enter 
ainment  till  the  age  of  Shakspeare  (1580,)  or  thereabouts. 

There  were  theatrical  entertainments  long  before  there 
were  theatres.  The  first  public  representation  that  was 
'•my  thing  like  a  play  was  exhibited  as  early  as  1378,  and 
was  called  a  miracle.  It  was  the  history  of  St.  Catharine 
and  was  performed  by  the  priests  of  Dunstable.  The  ac- 
tors were  attired  in  the  holy  vestments  belonging  to  the  ab- 
bey of  St.  Alban's.  In  Richard  the  Second's  reign  the 
clergy  of  St.  Paul's  enacted  a  miracle  before  the  king  and 


What  were  the  amusements  of  the  English  people  at  different  tin*1 3  f 
What  was  the  progress  of  the  drama  in  England? 
VYl  at  was  a  dramatic  miracle  ? 


206  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

queen  which  lasted  eight  days,  and  in  which  was  repre- 
sented the  greater  part  of  the  history  of  the  Bible. 

These  miracles  were  succeeded  by  mysteries,  in  which 
sacred  subjects  were  strangely  jumbled  with  mimicry  and 
buffoonery.  By  degrees,  some  little  moral  allegory  crept 
into  these  entertainments,  and  miracles  and  mysteries  gave 
way  to  moralities,  which  consisted  of  long  elaborate  speech 
es  from  allegorical  personages,  as  Theology,  Adulation, 
Admonition,  &c.  These  plays  were  all  performed  in 
churches  and  chapels,  and  the  actors  were  almost  always 
ecclesiastics.  Besides  these  church  plays  there  were  secu 
lar  plays  and  interludes  performed  in  private  houses  and 
in  the  streets,  by  jugglers,  tumblers,  and  jesters,  whose 
business  it  was  to  rove  about  and  exhibit  their  talents. 

In  the  time  of  popery  there  were  so  many  saints'  days, 
and  holidays,  the  lower  orders  of  people  had  a  great  deal 
of  time  for  their  amusements.  Christmas  was  the  chief 
time  of  sports  ;  and  in  the  king's  courts,  and  probably  also 
in  private  families,  a  leader  of  the  sports  was  elected,  who 
had  for  the  time  the  pleasant  title  of  lord  of  misrule. 

When  there  was  so  much  play,  of  course  there  was  less 
work.  The  country  was  miserably  cultivated  :  there  were 
frequent  famines ;  the  dirt  and  wretchedness  of  the  poor 
was  extreme  :  hunger  and  idleness  made  them  always 
ready  to  raise  tumults  and  disturbances.  Their  condition 
is  now  better,  though  poor  laborers  of  England  do  not 
dance  and  sing  so  much  as  their  ancestors  did,  they  enjoy 
more  comforts,  and  fewer  of  them  are  killed  in  broils,  or 
Jie  of  .hunger. 

What  were  Mysteries  and  Allegories  ? 

Wh^t  effect  had  the  Catholic  religion  upon  popular  air.useme uX»  ia 
England  ? 

Is  toomnr.li  d  version  conducive  to  the  well  being  cf  a  people? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  20? 

CHAPTER    XXIII 

RICHARD  III. 
[Years  after  Christ, -1483—1485.] 


iU'.HARD,  DUKE    OF    GLOUCESTER,  AFTERWAHDB    KlftO. 

From  a  MS.  in  the  Royal  Library. 

L  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  citizens  of  London  soli- 
cited Richard  to  accept  the  crown  entirely  from  the  love 
they  bore  to  him.  He  had  caused  the  city  to  be  surrounded 
by  numerous  bodies  of  troops,  and  would  have  proceeded 
to  violent  measures,  had  not  the  citizens  acted  as  they  did. 

The  new  king,  soon  after  the  coronation  set  out  with  his 
queen,  and  only  son,  then  about  eight  years  old,  on  a  royal 
progress  through  the  kingdom.  When  the  court  arrived 
at  York,  the  king,  to  gain  popularity  amongst  the  people, 
who  flocked  there  in  great  numbers  to  see  him,  entertain- 
ed them  with  the  ceremony  of  a  coronation,  and  was 
crowned  in  the  cathedral  at  that  city  a  second  time. 

But  while  Richard  was  thus   making  a  parade  of  his 

How  were  the  citizens  of  London  constrained  to  offer  Richard  the 
crown  ? 
Where  was  Richard  III.  crowned  ? 
What  conspiracy  was  formed  against  Richard? 


208  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

loyalty,  a  plot  was  already  brewing  to  deprive  him  of  it 
Morton,  bishop,  of  Ely,had  been  committed  to  the  custody 
of  the  duke  of  Buckingham.  That  shrewd  prelate  soor, 
saw  that  though  the  duke  had  received  great  rewards  from 
die  king,  he  yet  wanted  more,  and  that  resentment  and  dis- 
content were  rankling  in  his  mind.  Morton  accordingly 
found  no  difficulty  in  persuading  him,  notwithstanding  he 
had  so  greatly  contributed  to  the  exalting  of  Richard,  to 
join  in  a  conspiracy  formed  for  deposing  him,  and  for  pla- 
cing Henry  Tudor,  earl  of  Richmond,  on  the  throne. 

The  friends  of  Richmond  were  desirous  of  supplying  the 
defects  of  his  title  by  marrying  him  to  Elizabeth,  daughter 
of  Edward  IV.,  who  certainly,  now  that  her  brothers  were 
gone,  seemed  to  have  the  best  right  to  the  crown.  Having 
formed  their  plan,  they  sent  messengers  to  the  young  earl, 
entreating  him  to  come  to  England  immediately  ;  and  they 
made  preparations  at  the  same  time  for  a  general  rising  on 
the  18th  of  October.  But  Richard,  whose  vigilance  had 
not  let  this  tempest  gather unperceived,  assembled  anarmv 
rapidly  at  Northampton,  to  be  ready  to  march  to  that  part 
of  the  country  where  the  storm  should  burst. 

Buckingham  was  prevented  from  acting  against  Richard 
being  betrayed  to  him  for  a  reward  of  a  thousand  pounds 
He  was  taken  to  London,  and  begged  earnestly  to  see  the 
king,  and  plead  his  cause  before  him;  but  Richard  refused 
his  request,  and  ordered  him  to  be  immediately  executed. 
The  other  conspirators,  discouraged  by  this  disastrous  be- 
ginning, dispersed,  but  were  many  of  them  taken,  and  the 
execution  of  some  of  the  ringleaders  terminated  this  formi- 
dable insurrection. 

A  D  1483  Ricnard  made  a  triumphant  entry  into 
London,  and  all  things  now  seemed  to 
prosper  to  his  wishes.  But  he,  whose  heart  was  too  hard  to 
feel  for  the  affliction  of  others,  was  himself  vulnerable  in 
his  paternal  affection.  Edward,  his  only  child,  died  April  9 
14S4;  and  we  are  told  that  the  king's  grief  was  so  excessive 
that  he  almost  "  run  mad."     The  grief  of  the  queen  wab 


What  plan  was  formed  for  the  exclusion  of  Richard,  and  how  did  h* 
urepare  to  frustrate  that  plan  ? 

What  happened  to  the  conspirators  against  Richard  ! 
ft'hat  domestic  misfortunes  happened  to  R'chard? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  209 

not  less  violent ;  and  her  death  a  few  months  afterwards 
is  generally  ascribed  to  it. 

Richard,  notwithstanding  all  his  spies,  and  the  secret  in- 
telligence he  kept  up  in  the  country,  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  aware  that,  while  Richmond  was  supposed  to  be  in 
France,  soliciting  aid  from  foreign  princes,  he  in  fact  passed 
great  part  of  the  time  in  Wales,  making  himself  friends 
among  his  countrymen ;  for  the  Tudors  were  a  Welsh  fa- 
mily. Once,  when  at  Tremostyn,  in  Flintshire,  he  was  so 
near  being  discovered  by  one  of  Richard's  spies,  that  he 
only  escaped  by  jumping  out  of  a  back  window,  and  getting 
through  a  hole,  which  is  still  called  the  king's  hole. 

Richmond,  on  his  return  to  France,  heard  a  repoit  ol 
Richard's  marriage  with  the  princes  Elizabeth.  On  this, 
hastily  collecting  all  the  English  exiles,  and  a  few  French 
soldiers,  he  mustered  a  body  of  3000  men,  and  with  this 
small  army  he  landed  at  Milford  Haven,  August  7,  1485, 
trusting  to  the  co-operation  of  his  friends  in  England. 

When  Richard  heard  how  small  a  number  of  persons 
accompanied  the  earl,  he  despised  so  weak  an  enemy.  But 
when  he  found  that  enemy  to  be  presently  joined  by  some 
Welsh  troops  that  had  been  sent  against  him,  and  that  his 
numbers  were  fast  increasing,  he  began  to  think  the  dan- 
ger more  urgent.  His  spies  either  could  not  or  would  not 
give  him  true  information ;  and  he  began  to  suspect  and 
distrust  all  about  him. 

Richard  at  this  juncture  adopted  the  only  measure  he 
could  devise,  to  prevent  the  defection  of  the  army  m  hi*) 
cause.  Lord  Stanley,  to  whom  Richard  had  given  the 
chief  command  in  his  army,  was  in  secret  league  with 
Richmond,  whose  mother  he  had  married.  Richard 
though  he  knew  not  exactly  what  to  apprehend,  seized  on 
Stanley's  son,  and  kept  him  as  a  hostage  for  the  fidelity 
of  his  father,  who  was  thus  pre\  ented  from  openly  appear- 
ing in  Richmond's  cause. 

Richard  being  desperate,  at  length  roused  himself,  and 
collecting  what  troops  he  could,  marched  from  Notting. 


Where  -was  the  earl  of  Richmond  1485  ? 
When  and  where  did  the  army  of  Richmond  land  in  England  ? 
How  did  Rbhard  prepare  for  his  adversary  ? 
What  measure  did  Richard  take  in  respect  tolortl  Stanley  ' 
Where  did  Richard  encounter  Richmond's  army  ! 
10 


210  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

ham,  where  he  was  keeping  his  court,  to  Leicester.  An 
gust  22d,  he  left  Leicester  with  great  pomp,  wearing  a 
crown  on  his  helmet,  but  with  a  countenance  indicating  a 
troubled  mind,  and  encamped  at  the  abbey  of  Merivalle, 
not  far  from  Bosworth,  where  Richmond  had  arrived  the 
night  before.  The  two  armies  were  placed  so  near  to- 
gether, that  during  the  night  many  deserted  from  the  royal 
army  and  joined  Richmond. 

The  next  morning  the  forces  on  both  sides  were  drawn 
OLt  in  line  of  battle.  The  battle  began,  but  no  yigor  or 
spirit  was  displayed  in  the  royal  army ;  and,  when  lord 
Stanley  suddenly  turned  and  attacked  it,  Richard  saw  that 
all  was  lost,  and  exclaiming  "Treason !  treason!  treason!" 
rushed  in  the  madness  of  rage  and  desperation  into  the 
midst  of  the  enemy,  and  made  his  way  to  the  earl  of  Rich- 
mond, hewing  down  all  before  him. 

The  earl  rather  shrunk  back  at  the  approach  of  such  a 
desperate  antagonist ;  but  his  attendants  gathered  round 
Richard,  who  fought  like  a  wild  beast  at  bay,  till  at  last 
he  fell  covered  with  wounds.  His  helmet  was  so  beaten 
in  by  the  blows  it  had  received,  that  its  form  was  quite  de- 
stroyed. Scarcely  any  persons  of  note  fell  on  this  memo- 
rable field. 

Richard  reigned  little  more  than  two  years,  and  was 
slain  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  He  fell  near  a 
brook  which  runs  through  Bosworth  field.  The  dead  body 
of  the  king  was  treated  like  that  of  a  malefactor,  and  thrown 
neck  and  heels  across  a  horse,  and  carried  to  Leicester, 
where  it  was  buried  in  the  church  of  the  Grey  Friars. 
But  his  bones  were  not  permitted  to  rest  in  this  humble 
bed  ;  for  at  the  destruction  of  the  religious  houses  by  Henry 
VIII. ,  they  were  torn  from  their  burying-place.  His  coffin 
was  afterwards  used  as  a  drinking  trough  for  horses  at  an 
inn  in  Leicester. 

The  consequences  of  the  battle  of  Bosworth  were  of 
qrreat  importance,  not  on]y  to  the  individuals  who  were  en- 
gaged in  it,  but  to  the  whole  nation.     Indeed,  no  battle 


How  did  Richard  demean  himself  in  the  battle  of  Bosworth  field  ? 
How  did  Richmond  meet  Richard,  and  how  fell  Richard  ? 
How  long  did  Richard  III.  reign,  and  how  was  his  dead  body  treated  ? 
What  were  the  consequences  to  the  English  nation  of  the  battle  of 
Bosworth  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  211 

since  that  of  Hastings,  had  been  productive  of  such  mate- 
rial changes.  The  battle  of  Hastings  brought  in  the  feudal 
system  in  its  most  oppressive  form ;  and  the  battle  of  Bos- 
worth  put  an  end  to  it,  and  also  to  the  long  line  of  Planta 
genet  kings,  who  had  governed  England  for  330  years. 

There  were  fourteen  Plantagenet  kings:  Henry  the 
Second,  and  thirteen  descendants.  Four  of  these,  John, 
Henry  III.,  Richard  II.,  and  Henry  VI.,  were  feeble 
monarchs.  The  rest  inherited  all  the  abilities  and  bravery 
oi  their  great  ancestor:  but  they  were  one  and  all  of  them 
ignorant  of  what  may  be  called  a  Christian  policy, — igno- 
rant that  it  is  the  duty  of  princes  to  seek  the  improvement 
and  happiness  of  their  subjects,  rather  than  the  increase 
of  territory,  or  the  triumph  of  arms.  But,  in  despite  of 
the  false  notions  of  their  kings,  the  English  nation  was 
gradually  becoming  more  free,  intelligent,  and  virtuous, 
during  these  successive  reigns. 

THE  PLANTAGENET  LINE 


Henry  II.  Plantagenet. 

Richard  I.  Coeurde  Lion,     >      „,„rrr„„„-TT 

John  Lackland,  £  sons  of  Henn,  H. 

Henry  III.  son  of  John. 

Edward  I.  son  of  Henry  III. 

Edward,  II.  of  Carnarvon,  son  of  Edward  I. 

Edward  III.  son  of  Edward  II. 

Richard  II.  of  Bordeaux,  grandson  of  Edward  III, 

Henry  IV.  of  Lancaster,  cousin  to  Richard  II. 

grandson  of  Edward  III. 
Henry  V.  of  Monmouth,  son  of  Henry  IV. 
Henry  VI.  of  Westminster,  son  of  Henry  V. 
Edwird  IV.  of  York,  third  cousin  to  Henry  VI, 

great  great  grandson  of  Edward  III. 
Edward  V.  son  of  Edward  IV. 
Richard  III.  Crookback,  uncle  of  Edward  Y.aml 

the  last  of  the  Plantagenets. 


Began  to 

r.eigned 

reign 

Years. 

1154  . 

.  35  .  . 

1189  . 

.  10  .  . 

1199  . 

.  17  .  , 

1216  . 

.  56 

1272  . 

.  34  .  . 

1307  . 

.  20  .  . 

1327  . 

.  50  .  . 

1377  . 

.  22  .  . 

1399  . 

.  14  .  . 

1413  . 

.   9  .  . 

1422  . 

.  19  .  . 

1461  . 

.  ^2  .  . 

1483  . 

.   3m.  . 

148  J  . 

.   2  .  . 

Who  ve-e  the  Plantagenet  kings  and  v  Sat  their  general  chatactot  ? 


212  ENGLISH  K'-STOilV 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

HENRY  VIT. 
[Years  aftei  Christ,  1485—1509.] 


HENRY  VI.   AND   HIS   QUEEN. 

From  an  old  picture  by  Mabush 

King  Richard  was  the  last  man  slain  on  the  field  of 
Bosworth,  and  his  death  was  the  signal  victory  to  Hen- 
ry of  Richmond.  The  soldiers  who  had  engaged  in  pur- 
suit of  the  fugitives  were  recalled  by  hearing  the  shouts  of 
"  Long  live  King  Henry !"  and,  returning  to  the  field  of 
battle,  they  saw  sir  William  Stanley  placing  on  Henry's 
head  the  battered  crown  that  had  been  struck  off  from  the 
helmet  of  Richard. 

Henry  was  at  this  time  thirty  }~ears  old,  and  two  ruling 
passions,  swayed  his  conduct  from  the  first  hour  of  his 
reign,  to  the  end  of  his  life.  These  were  his  avarice,  and 
his  hatred  to  the  house  of  York.  The  first  command  he 
issued,  even  before  he  had  left  the  bloody  field  where  he 
had  been  proclaimed  king,  was  that  persons  should  he 
sent  into  Yorkshire,  to  seize  young  Edward  Plantagene^ 

When  was  Henry  of  Richmcnd  crowned  king  of  England  ? 
What  were  the  ruling  passions  of  Henry  VII.  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  213 

earl  of  Warwick,  the  son  of  the  duke  of  Claience,  and  to 
convey  him  to  the  Tower. 

But,  notwithstanding  Henry's  rooted  dislike  to  the  house 
of  York,  he  soon  found  he  could  not  maintain  himself  on 
ihe  throne  without  allying  himself  to  it  He  therefore 
renewed  an  agreement  he  had  formerly  made  to  marry  the 
princess  Elizabeth  ;  but  his  reluctance  to  the  marriage  was 
so  great,  that  he  put  it  off  till  the  following  year.  He  had 
so  much  jealousy  of  its  being  supposed  that  he  derived 
through  her  his  right  to  the  crown,  that  he  would  not  per- 
mit the  queen's  name  to  be  mentioned  in  the  act  of  parlia- 
ment that  was  passed  for  settling  the  succession. 

AD  1487  Henry's  conduct  towards  all  those  who 
had  been  connected  with  the  late  royal 
family  naturally  irritated  them  against  him,  and  a  scheme 
was  contrived,  which,  though  it  failed  in  the  end,  had  many 
abettors,  and  gave  him  for  a  time  much  trouble  and  vexa- 
tion. Lambert  Simnel,  the  son  of  a  baker  of  Oxford,  was 
instructed  to  personate  the  young  earl  of  Warwick,  who, 
it  was  pretended,  had  made  his  escape  from  the  tower. 

Richard  Simon,  a  priest,  had  the  chief  management  of 
this  plot.  He  took  Simnel  into  Ireland,  where  the  house 
of  York  had  many  friends  ;  and  there,  the  credulity  of  the 
people  coinciding  with  their  wishes,  he  was  proclaimed  at 
Dublin  by  the  title  of  Edward  VI.  When  Henry  heard 
of  this  pretended  earl  of  Warwick,  he  caused  the  real  earl 
to  be  taken  from  his  prison,  and  carried  in  procession 
hrough  London. 

This  measure,  though  it  satisfied  the  people  of  England, 
did  not  convince  those  of  Ireland,  who  asserted  that  Henry 
had  exhibited  an  impostor,  while  they  were  in  possession 
of  the  true  Plantagenet.  Whether  the  duchess  of  Burgun- 
dy was  really  of  the  same  opinion,  or  whether  she  was 
glad  of  an  opportunity  to  disturb  Henry,  does  not  appear; 
but  she  certainly  assisted  Simnel  with  a  body  of  troops  un- 
der the  command  of  Martin  Swartz,  an  experienced  leadei 


Whom  did  Henry  marry,  and  how  did  he  regard  the  queen  ? 
What  impostor  appeared  in  England  1487  ? 
What  measures  did  Henry  take  to  expose  this  irnpostoi  ? 
Who  assisted  Simnel  ? 


214  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

The  earl  of  Lincoln,  son  of  the  counters  de  la  Polo 
eldest  sister  to  the  duchess,  also  joined  Simnei  in  Ireland 
Leaving  Ireland  with  a  force  of  eight  thousand  men,  they 
landed  in  Lancashire,  expecting  to  be  joined  by  the  inha- 
bitants. But  they  were  mistaken  in  this  expectation,  and 
penetrated  as  far  as  Stoke,  near  Newark,  without  receiving 
any  addition  to  their  numbers.  Here  they  were  met,  June 
16, 1487,  by  Henry,  with  a  considerable  force,  and  defeat 
ed  after  a  fierce  engagement. 

Lord  Lincoln  and  Swartz  were  slain.  Simnei,  and  his 
protector  Simon,  were  taken  prisoners,  and  received  better 
treatment  than  they  could  have  expected  ;  for  Henry  con- 
tented himself  with  imprisoning  the  priest  for  life,  and 
with  degrading  the  new-made  king  to  be  one  of  the  scul- 
lions of  his  kitchen. 

A  D  14Q3  Anqjher  impostor  started  up,  in  a  youth 
called  Perkin  Warbeck,  who  had  been 
secretly  instructed  to  personate  Richard  duke  of  York,  the 
young  brother  of  Edward  V.,  who,  it  was  pretended,  had 
escaped  from  the  Tower,  by  the  connivance  of  the  ruffians 
who  had  murdered  his  brother.  This  youth  had  a  strong 
resemblance  to  the  Plantagenets,  and  acted  his  part  so 
well  that  many  persons  were  actually  convinced  that  he 
was  the  prince. 

Warbeck  presented  himself  at  the  duchess  of  Burgundy's 
court  at  Brussels,  and  claimed  her  protection,  as  being  hei 
brother's  son.  The  duchess  appeared  at  first  to  doubt  hi.s 
story.,  and  then,  as  if  suddenly  convinced  by  his  answers 
to  her  questions,  she  embraced  him  with  a  transport  of 
joy,  exclaiming  that  he  was  indeed  her  long  lost  nephew. 
She  then  appointed  a  guard  of  soldiers  to  attend  him,  and 
treated  him  as  the  head  of  the  house  of  York. 

The  news  of  this  extraordinary  circumstance  brought 
numbers  of  people  to  Brussels  :  and  the  answers  of  War* 
beck  were  so  extraordinary,  that  all  who  saw  and  convers 
ed  with  him  were  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  his  stoty 


Where  was  Simnei  defeated  ? 

What  became  of  Simnei  and  his  chio  abettors  ? 

Who  pretended  to  be  the  duke  of  York  ? 

"What  princess  encouraged  Warbeck? 

How  did  Henry  prove  the  imposture  of  Warbeck  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  215 

Ilerjy  now  became!  anxious  to  publish  lo  the  world  the 
certainty  that  the  real  duke  of  York  had  beon  murdered, 
and  he  obtained  the  confession  of  two  persons  who  owned 
themselves  to  have  been  accessary  to  the  death  of  the  two 
young  princes. 

Amongst  those  who  flocked  to  see  Perkin  Warbeck 
were  two  men  sent  by  Henry,  who  were  commissioned  to 
insinuate  themselves  into  his  confidence.  In  this  they  suc- 
ceeded so  well  that  they  became  acquainted  with  his  se- 
crets, and  sent  regular  information  of  his  plans  to  the  king, 
who  was  thus  enabled  to  know  what  persons  in  England 
were  in  correspondence  with  him.  These  persons  were 
all  seized  in  one  day,  and  were  immediately  tried,  con- 
demned, and  executed.  Sir  William  Stanley  was  behead- 
ed for  having  been  heard  to  say,  that  "  if  he  was  sure  Per- 
kiii  Warbeck  was  the  real  duke  of  York,  he  would  never 
ocar  arms  against  him." 

These  sanguinary  measures  deterred  people  from  ven- 
turing to  own  themselves  friends  or  favorers  of  Warbeck, 
who  made  two  unsuccessful  attempts  to  land  in  the  realms 
which  he  claimed  for  his  own.  His  first  attempt  was  in 
Kent,  and  his  second  in  Ireland.  He  then  tried  his  for- 
tune in  Scotland,  and  having  convinced  the  king,  James 
IV.,  that  he  was  a  true  Plantagenet,  that  young  monarch 
received  him  with  the  utmost  kindness. 

James  entered  into  Warbeck's  cause  with  all  the  warmth 
of  a  generous  mind,  regardless  of  the  danger  of  making  an 
enemy  of  so  powerful  a  monarch  as  the  king  of  England, 
with  whom  it  was  greatly  his  interest  to  remain  at  peace. 
He  gave  Warbeck  in  marriage  to  the  lady  Catharine  Doug- 
las, one  of  the  most  noble  and  accomplished  ladies  in  Scot 
land,  and  published  a  manifesto,  inviting  the  English  to  re 
pair  to  the  standard  of  theirrightful  sovereign,  Richard  IV. 

A    D    14QB      James  also  raised  an  army,  and,  in  Octo- 
ber, invaded  England.     The  Scots  imme- 
diately began  to  plunder,  as  was  their  custom ;  and  War- 


Did  Henry  punish  the  friends  of  Warbeck  ? 
Where  did  Warbeck  successively  try  to  advance  his  cause? 
How  did  James  IV.  of  Scotland  assist  Warbeck  ? 
What  regard   for  human  life   and  the  right  of  property   was   niani'r**:, 
od  by  Warbeck  ? 


21G  ENT.LISH  HISTORY. 

beck  expostulated  with  James  on  this  barbarous  manner 
of  carrying  on  the  war,  declaring  that  he  had  rather  lose  a 
crown  than  obtain  it  by  the  ruin  of  his  subjects. 

While  Henry  was  preparing  to  repel  the  Scots,  a  still 
more  pressing  danger  assailed  him  in  an  insurrection  of 
the  men  of  Cornwall,  who  came  in  a  numerous  body  to- 
wards London.  They  got  to  Blackheath,  but  were  there 
defeated  by  the  king's  troops.  Their  leaders  were  taken 
and  executed.  The  rest,  on  paying  two  or  three  shillings 
each  into  the  king's  coffer,  received  a  pardon,  and  return- 
ed home. 

Warbeck  was  soon  deprived  of  the  assistance  which  the 
king  of  Scotland  had  for  a  time  afforded  him.  Henry, 
who  was  at  all  times  a  better  negotiater  than  a  soldier,  pre- 
ferred entering  into  a  treaty  with  James  to  the  meeting 
him  in  the  field  ;  and  a  truce  was  made  between  the  two 
monarchs.  Upon  this  Warbeck,  after  thanking  James  for 
the  protection  and  kindness  he  had  shown  him,  went  to 
Ireland  with  about  120  followers,  and  his  amiable  wife, 
who  would  not  forsake  him. 

Warbeck  remained  in  Ireland  some  months,  and  on 
receiving  an  invitation  from  the  Cornish  men,  who  were 
still  in  an  unsettled  state,  he  landed  at  Whitsand  Bay  in 
that  country.  Warbeck  was  joined  at  Bodmin  by  3000 
men,  with  whom  he  marched  forward  and  laid  siege  to 
Exeter. 

A  large  body  of  the  king's  forces  marched  against  him, 
and  Warbeck  left  his  companions  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves, and  fled  in  the  night  to  the  abbey  of  Beauley.  The 
Abbey  was  soon  surrounded  by  the  royal  troops,  and  Henry 
would  gladly  have  forced  open  the  gates  and  seized  on  his 
victim,  but  was  persuaded  to  try  to  entice  him  out  of  his 
sanctuary  by  the  promise  of  his  life. 

Warbeck  on  receiving  this  promise,  yielded  himself  up, 
and  wras  carried  prisoner  to  the  Tower.  He  contrived  to 
elude  the  vigilance  of  his  keeper,  and  made  his  escape  • 
but  being  soon  taken,  and  brought  back  again,  he  was  com- 


What  insurrection  was  quelled  in  1495  ? 
How  did  James  of  Scotland  and  WarDec*  part  ? 
Did  Warbeck  abandon  his  enterprise  ? 
Where  was  Warbeck  taken  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  217 

pelled  to  mount  a  scaffold  at  Westminster,  and  to  read  a 
paper  by  which  he  confessed  himself  to  be  an  impostor. 
Warbeck  afterwards  contrived  to  have  some  communica- 
tion with  the  earl  of  Warwick,  his  fellow  prisoner,  and  a 
plan  was  concerted  between  them  for  their  escape ;  but  the 
plan  being  discovered,  they  were  both  executed.  Perkin 
Warbeck  was  hanged  at  Tyburn,  Nov.  23,  1499,  and  the 
earl  of  Warwick  was  beheaded  on  Tower-Hill  three  days 
after. 

Henry,  from  this  time  till  his  death,  was  undisturbed 
either  by  tumults  at  home  or  by  wars  abroad.  He  made 
many  treaties  of  alliance  and  commerce  with  foreign  coun- 
tries, but  he  chiefly  employed  himself  in  amassing  wealth 
which  he  did  in  every  possible  way.  He  made  many 
arbitrary  and  vexatious  laws,  and  obliged  those  who  in- 
fringed them  in  the  slightest  degree  to  pay  heavy  fines,  or 
suffer  imprisonment. 

These  rapacious  schemes  Henry  carried  on  chiefly  by 
the  assistance  of  two  lawyers,  of  the  names  of  Empson 
and  Dudley,  whom  he  employed  to  entrap  the  rich  and  un- 
wary. By  these  means,  as  well  as  by  taxes,  and  benevo- 
lences, he  acquired  immense  wealth,  not  only  in  money, 
but  also  in  plate  and  jewels.  He  kept  it  with  the  most 
anxious  care,  under  his  own  lock  and  key,  in  secret  apart 
ments  in  the  palace  at  Richmond. 

A  "D  1 500  ^^e  king's  eldest  daughter,  Margaret, 
married  James  IV.  of  Scotland  ;  and,  iu 
1501,  prince  Arthur,  his  eldest  son,  married  Catharine 
of  Arragon,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Isabella,  the  king 
and  queen  of  Spain  ;  but  in  the  following  spring  the  young 
prince  died,  and  Henry,  unwilling  to  lose  the  marriage 
portion  of  the  Spanish  princess,  married  her  to  his  other 
son,  Henry,  a  boy  of  eleven  years  old.  In  1503,  the 
queen,  Elizabeth  of  York,  died. 

A    D   1506      The  arch^uke  Philip  of  Austria,  who  had 

married  the  eldest  sister  of  Catharine  of 

Arragon,  being  on  his  way  to  Spain  with  his  duchess,  wae 


Did  Warbeck  escape  from  the  Tower  ? 

For  what  was  Warbeck  hanged  ? 

What  was  the  character  of  Henry's  administration? 


218  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

driven  by  contrary  winds  to  land  in  England :  and  Heiuy 
under  pretext  of  showing  him  and  the  duchess  extraordi- 
nary honor,  detained  them  till  he  had  extorted  from  Philip 
a  promise  to  give  him  in  marriage  his  sister,  the  duchess 
dowager  of  Savoy,  with  an  enormous  dower. 

Henry  also  obliged  Philip  to  make  a  commercial  treaty, 
exceedingly  advantageous  to  England,  and  prevailed  with 
him  to  give  up  Edmund  de  la  Pole  a  distressed  nobleman 
of  the  house  of  York,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  the  Aus- 
trian dominions.  Philip  complied  most  reluctantly  with 
this  last  demand  :  and  Henry,  when  he  had  got  all  he  want 
ed,  suffered  him  and  his  duchess  to  depart. 

Henry  had  scarcely  got  de  la  Pole  in  his  power,  when 
he  became  sensible  that  all  his  schemes  of  revenge,  ava^ 
rice,  and  ambition,  were  drawing  to  a  close.  A  violent 
attack  of  the  gout  gave  him  warning  of  his  approaching 
end.  He  now  devoted  the  remnant  of  his  life  to  make 
preparations  for  the  awful  change  he  had  to  expect ;  but 
even  his  dying  acts  were  tinctured  by  that  money-loving 
spirit,  which  had  governed  his  life.  Amongst  other  things 
he  ordered  that  two  thousand  masses  should  be  said  for 
him  at  sixpence  a  piece. 

One  or  two  of  his  bequests,  however,  exhibited  some- 
thing like  a  conscience.  He  ordered  that  restitution 
should  be  made  to  those  persons  from  whom  his  agents, 
Dudley  and  Empson,  had  extorted  more  than  the  law  could 
warrant.  Pie  also  ordered  the  debts  to  be  paid  of  all  per- 
sons in  London  and  Westminster  who  were  imprisoned  for 
40s.  or  under.  Having  thus  done  every  thing  that  fear  and 
superstition  suggested,  he  died  at  his  palace  at  Richmond, 
April  21,  1509,  in  the  24th  year  of  his  reign,  and  the  54th 
3f  his  age. 

He  married  Elizabeth  of  York,  and  had  two  sons,  and 
Cwo  daughters : — Arthur,  married  Catharine  of  Arragon. 
and  died  young ;  Henry,  his  successor  ; — Margaret,  mar- 
tied,  first,  James  IV.  of  Scotland,  and,  secondly  Douglas, 


What  marriage  did  Henry  propose  to  make  ? 

Whom  did  Philip  of  Austria  give  up  to  Henry  VII.  ? 

What  put  a  stop  to  all  Henry's  plans  '( 

By  what  means  did  Henry  amass  wealth,  and  when  did  he  die  1 

W  ho  were  Henry  the  Seventh's  children  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  219 

earl   of    Angus ; — Mary   married,   first,    Louis    XII.   of 
France,  and  secondly,  Brandon,  Duke  of  Suffolk. 


The  reign  of  Henry  VII.  was  the  dawn  of  what  may 
properly  be  called  English  liberty  ;  for  though  the  Magna 
Charta  had  fenced  in  the  nobles  from  the  tyranny  of  the 
king,  yet  the  great  mass  of  the  people  were  for  a  long  time 
after  exposed  to  the  oppressions  of  the  nobles :  but  now, 
the  power  of  the  nobility  being  much  diminished  by  the 
long  civil  wars,  the  people  began  gradually  to  emerge  from 
slavery. 

Henry's  policy  also  was  to  depress  the  nobles.  He  re- 
stricted the  number  of  their  retainers  ;  and  thus  that  idle 
race  of  people  who  had  before  passed  their  lives  in  follow- 
ing some  great  lord  to  the  wars,  or  in  hanging  about  his 
gates  in  time  of  peace,  were  driven  to  apply  themselves  to 
more  industrious  modes  of  life,  and  from  helpless  depend- 
ants became  useful  subjects. 

Commerce  too  began  to  make  a  great  alteration  in  the 
condition  of  persons  in  middle  life ;  and  Henry  greatly 
facilitated  their  rise  into  consequence  by  lessening  the 
strictness  of  entails,  and  so  enabling  the  nobles  to  sell  their 
estates,  many  of  which  thus  came  into  the  possession  of 
rich  commoners.  With  the  change  of  property  came  a 
great  change  in  the  condition  of  all  classes  of  people. 

The  land-owners  found  it  advantageous  to  commute  the 
service  of  their  villeins  for  money,  and  made  them  pay  renl 
for  their  lands  and  cottages ;  and  thus  from  villeins  they 
became  tenants.  It  is  difficult  to  trace  every  step  of 
the  lowest  orders  of  the  people  from  villeinage,  which  at 
some  periods  was  a  mere  state  of  slavery,  to  freedom.  The 
progress  was  so  various  and  so  gradual,  that  the  state  of 
villeinage  seemed  to  decline  insensibly,  and  after  this  time 
we  find  no  more  mention  made  of  it. 

Military  service  to  the  great  lords  being  abolished,  the 


Was  civil  liberty  advanced  in  England  during  the  reign  o{  Henry  VII.  i 

How  did  Henry  diminish  the  power  of  the  nobles  ? 

Did  Henry  change  the  tenure  of  property  in  Englanc  ? 

How  was  service  changed  to  rent  1 

Was  the  army  estab.ishment  of  England  changed  1 


220  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

army  of  England  became  from  this  time  an  independent 
body.  The  officers  and  soldiers  serving  by  their  own 
consent,  and  being  paid  by  the  nation. 

In  this  reign  the  S:ar  Chamber  was  first  instituted  ;  an 
arbitrary  court  of  law,  in  which  the  king  used  to  attend  in 
person  as  judge,  and  which  was  called  the  Star  Chamber, 
from  the  decorations  of  the  room  in  which  the  sittings  were 
held. 

Though  Henry  was  a  very  unamiable  man,  yet  in  some 
respects  his  conduct  as  a  king  was  beneficial  to  his  country. 
His  dislike  to  the  nobles  made  him  considerate  of  the  lower 
orders,  and  his  love  of  money  made  him  encourage  com- 
merce, and  the  navy.  He  built  some  four-masted  ships, 
of  a  larger  size  than  had  ever  been  seen  before. 

Intelligence  of  the  discoveries  made  by  Columbus  in 
the  western  hemisphere,  disposed  Henry  to  similar  enter- 
prises, and  he  fitted  out  a  small  fleet  of  ships,  and  sent  them 
on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  under  the  command  of  John 
Cabot,  a  Venetian  merchant. 

Cabot  sailed  in  a  north-west  direction,  and  the  first  land 
he  saw  was  what  we  now  call  Newfoundland,  but  which 
he  called  Prima  Vista  (first  seen  :)  he  next  saw  the  island 
of  St.  John's  and  sailed  to  the  south  as  far  as  Virginia,  and 
ihen  returned  to  England,  where  the  king  received  him 
with  great  honor,  and  knighted  him. 

What  was  the  court  of  Star  Chamber  ? 

Were  the  English  navy  and  commerce  ber.ofitted  by  Ht:nry  VJL? 

Did  Kenry  encourage  maritime  d  ecovery . 

Hoiv  did  Hcn,y  treat  John  Oabo; '( 


ENGLISH   HIST011V. 

CHAPTER    XXV. 

HENRY  VIII. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1509—1547 


221 


A  soldier  in  Henry  the  Eighth's  reign. 

Henry  VIII.  was  in  his  nineteenth  year  when  he  as- 
cended the  throne.  His  understanding  was  shrewd  and 
clear ;  he  had  received  what  was  then  thought  a  good  edu- 
cation, and  had  more  learning  than  most  princes  of  his 
time.  The  pretensions  of  the  two  rival  families  of  York 
and  Lancaster  were  united  in  his  person,  and  he  was  the 
first  king  since  Richard  II.  who  had  ascended  the  throne 
with  an  undisputed  title  to  it.  He  enjoyed  great  populari- 
ty, his  father  had  left  him  an  ample  treasure,  and  the 
country  was  free  from  both  foreign  and  from  domestic 
wars.  In  short,  no  king  of  England  had  ever  begun  to 
reign  under  more  prosperous  circumstances. 

For  the  first  two  years  of  his  reign  the  political  affaira 
of  England  prospered.  Henry  appointed  a  council  of  men 
of  approved  wisdom.     He  brought  Dudley  and  Empson 

When  and  under  what  circumstances  did  Henry  VIII.  succeed  to  the 
liirone  of  England  ? 

What  were  the  first  measures  of  Henry's  reign,  and  who  became  hia 
ohief  counsellor  l 


222  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

to  punishment  for  their  exactions  in  his  father's  reign,  and 
he  made  advantageous  treaties  with  France  and  Scotland 
At  the  same  time  he  was  extravagant  in  his  amusements, 
and  soon  squandered  much  of  his  father's  hoarded  wealth 
in  tournaments  and  other  expensive  pastimes,  to  the  great 
grief  of  his  careful  counsellor  Fox,  bishop  of  Winches- 
ter, who,  finding  his  remonstrances  unavailing,  intro 
duced  at  court  the  afterwards  highly  celebrated  cardinal 
Wolsey,  a  man  of  inferior  birth,  but  very  shrewd  and  dex- 
terous, by  whose  assistance  he  hoped  to  be  better  able  to 
restrain  the  follies  of  the  youthful  king. 

Wolsey  soon  acquired  an  unbounded  influence  over 
Henry,  but  he  only  employed  it  to  flatter  the  king's  follies 
and  to  promote  his  own  advancement.  He  was  soon  made 
archbishop  of  York  and  chancellor  ;  but  his  ambition  did 
not  rest  satisfied  with  this  ;  he  even  aspired  to  be  pope  of 
Rome. 

A  D  1513  Henry  was  drawn  in  by  his  father-in-law, 
Ferdinand  king  of  Spain,  the  most  artful 
man  of  his  time,  to  make  war  on  France.  He  landed  at 
Calais  with  a  numerous  army,  and  defeated  the  French 
troops  under  the  duke  de  Longueville.  This  engagement 
has  been  called  the  Battle  of  the  Spurs,  from  the  haste  with 
which  the  French  cavalry  took  to  flight.  Henry  after- 
wards took  Tournay,  and  thinking  he  had  now  done 
enough  to  establish  his  fame  as  a  conqueror,  amused  him 
self  with  tournaments  and  splendid  entertainments. 

On  the  same  day  on  which  Tournay  was  taken,  a  battle 
was  fought  at  Flodden,  at  the  foot  of  the  Cheviot  Hills, 
between  James  the  Fourth  of  Scotland,  and  the  English 
army  under  lord  Surrey,  afterwards  duke  of  Norfolk.  In 
this  battle  the  king  of  Scotland  was  killed. 

Henry  soon  after  made  peace  with  France,  one  of  the 
conditions  of  which  was  that  Louis  should  marry  Henry's 
young  sister  Mary.  Henry  then,  after  placing  a  garrison 
in  Tournay,  returned  to  England ;  and  the  princess  Mary 
his  sister  was  sent  in  the  following  August}  with  a  splen 


To  what  dignities  did  Wolsey  attain,  and  to  what  did  he  aspire  ? 

What  were  Henry's  enterprises  in  1513? 

What  happened  at  Flodden  Field  f 

On  what  conditions  did  Henry  make  peace  with  France  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  223 

Jid  train  of  ladies  and  nobles  to  France,  where  her  stay 
however,  was  very  short,  for  Louis  soon  dying,  she  returned 
to  England,  and,  after  a  widowhood  of  a  few  weeks,  mar- 
ried Brandon,  duke  of  Suffolk. 

Louis  was  succeeded  by  Francis  I.,  one  of  the  most  gal- 
lant princes  of  his  age.  Ferdinand  of  Spain  died  in  1517, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  grandson,  Charles  V.,  who 
soon  after  became  also  emperor  of  Germany.  Thus  were 
the  principal  countries  in  Europe  governed  by  three 
young  monarchs,  all  equally  emulous  of  fame  and  power. 
Charles  and  Francis  were  decided  rivals,  and  they  each 
courted  and  cajoled  Henry,  whose  blunt  and  open  charac- 
ter was  no  match  for  either  of  them. 

Henry  and  Francis  had  agreed  to  have  a  personal  inter- 
view ;  and  Charles,  in  hopes  of  preventing  its  taking 
place,  came  to  England.  He  could  not  succeed  in  prevent- 
ing the  interview  ;  but  he  nattered  Henry,  and  bribed  his 
chancellor  Wolsey,  till  he  had  sufficiently  detached  them 
from  the  interests  of  France. 

The  projected  meeting  between  Henry  and  Francis  took 
place  in  June,  1520.  Both  monarchs  arrived  within  the 
English  pale  near  Calais.  The  French  king  and  his  court 
took  up  their  quarters  at  Ardres,  and  the  English  king  was 
lodged  in  a  magnificent  palace  which  Francis  had  caused 
to  be  erected  for  him  at  Guines.  Two  thousand  eight 
hundred  tents,  many  of-  them  covered  with  silk  and  cloth 
of  gold,  were  pitched  in  the  surrounding  plain ;  but  even 
this  number  was  insufficient  for  the  multitude  who  flocked 
to  this  splendid  festival ;  and  many  ladies  and  persons  of 
rank  were  glad  to  obtain  a  lodging  in  barns  and  to  sleep 
upon  hay  and  straw. 

The  French  and  English  vied  with  each  other  in  the 
splendor  of  their  dresses,  and  this  meeting  is  celebrated 
by  the  name  of  "  The  field  of  the  cloth  of  gold."  It  con- 
tinued a  fortnight,  and  was  a  succession  of  entertainments. 
Wolsey,  who  was  now  made  cardinal,  took  upon  himself 


Who  were  the  three  greatest  monarchs  of  Europe  m  1517? 
H)w  did  Char.es  V.  interfere  between  the  kings  of  France  and  Eng 
.and? 

What  occurred  at  Guines  in  1520? 

What  was  done  at   '  The  field  of  the  cloth  of  gold  ?" 


224  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

to  regulate  all  the  ceremonials,  and  at  first  .he  two  kings 
only  met,  attended  by  their  trains,  and  passed  the  day  to- 
gether, according  to  the  formal  etiquette  prescribed  by  the 
cardinal.  But  such  dull  parade  did  not  suit  the  frank  and 
ardent  spirit  of  Francis,  and  after  two  or  three  of  these 
interviews  had  taken  place,  he  mounted  his  horse  early  one 
morning,  and,  attended  by  two  gentlemen  and  a  page,  rode 
off  towards  Guines. 

The  English,  who  were  on  guard  at  the  palace,  were  as- 
tonished to  see  the  king  of  France  at  that  hour,  and  so  at- 
tended ;  but  Francis  desired  to  be  conducted  to  Henry's 
apartment,  and  undrawing  the  curtains  of  his  bed,  awoke 
him  out  of  his  sleep.  Henry  was  as  much  amazed  as  his 
guards  had  been  ;  and  from  that  time  the  intercourse 
between  the  two  kings  was  conducted  in  a  more  free  and 
confidential  manner. 

On  June  25th  the  two  kings  separated,  and  Henry  and 
the  emperor  exchanged  visits  at  Gravelines  and  Calais. 
This  occasioned  a  renewal  of  tournaments  and  splendid 
entertainments  ;  but  amidst  them  all,  Charles  never  lost 
sight  of  his  own  interests,  and  sought  to  counteract  the 
effect  of  the  treaties  of  friendship  and  alliance  that  had 
been  made  between  the  two  kings  at  the  "  field  of  the  cloth 
of  gold." 


Soon  after  Henry's  return  to  England,  the  duke  of  Buck- 
ingham was  accused  of  some  treasonable  expressions 
against  the  king  and  was  beheaded  ;  but  his  real  crime  was 
the  having  offended  cardinal  Wolsey,  whose  haughty  and 
overbearing  conduct  had  raised  a  host  of  secret  enemies 
around  him.  Wolsey's  power  over  the  king  was  so  abso- 
lute, that  Henry,  without  perceiving  it,  was  merely  his 
tool ;  and  making  himself  agreeable  as  Avell  as  useful,  he 
ruled  for  ten  years  with  absolute  sway  one  of  the  most  ca 
pricious  and  passionate  of  men. 


Did  the  kings  on  this  occasion  depart  from  the  pomp  of  ma)esty  ? 
Did  Charles  V.  manifest  any  real  friendship  for  Henry  of  EnglanI  I 
W.'is  Wolsey's  influence  upon  Henry  of  great  importance? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  225 

A     ,     .  _    .       Henry  distinguished  himself  as  un  author, 
'  *     and  wrote  a  Latin  book  against  the  here- 

sies of  Luther,  an  eminent  reformer  of  religion  in  Germa- 
ny. This  book  was  presented  with  great  ceremony  to 
pope  Leo  X.,  who  rewarded  the  royal  author  with  the  title 
of  "  Defender  of  the  Faith  ;"  and  sent  him  a  letter  praising 
his  "  wisdom,  learning,  zeal,  charity,  gravity,  gentleness, 
and  meekness  ;"  most  of  which  epithets  few  people  could 
have  less  deserved. — The  following  year  Leo  died,  and 
Adrian  VI.  was  elected  pope,  to  the  great  mortification  of 
VVolsey. 

\  D  ^99  ^ne  emPeror  Charles  visited  England  a 
second  time,  and  was  entertained  with  a 
variety  of  splendid  shows.  Charles,  as  usual,  mixed  poli- 
tics with  his  festivities,  and  applied  himself  to  win  the 
favor  of  the  English  nobles.  By  his  artifices  Charles 
effectually  dissolved  the  bonds  of  amity  between  France 
and  England  ;  and  Francis  declared  of  his  late  dear  friend 
the  king  of  England,  "  that  he  held  him  for  his  mortal 
enemy  from  that  day  forth." 

War  was  soon  after  declared,  but  nothing  very  material 
was  done.  Henry  was  no  great  warrior,  and  Francis  was 
more  intent  on  prosecuting  a  war  in  Italy  with  the  emperor 
than  on  making  any  attack  on  Henry.  At  length  Fran- 
cis was  taken  prisoner  by  Charles  at  the  battle  of  Puvia 
and  remained  in  captivity  nearly  a  year. 

Charles,  having  now  gained  all  he  wanted,  treated  Henry 
with  little  ceremony,  neglected  to  repay  some  money  he 
had  borrowed  of  him,  and  refused  to  ratify  a  treaty  he  had 
made  to  marry  his  daughter,  the  princess  Mary.  Wolsey 
also,  who  found  the  popedom  a  second  time  vacant,  and 
himself  still  forgotten,  had  reason  to  complain  of  the  em- 
peror's breach  of  faith.  He  therefore  easily  persuaded  his 
already  irritated  master  to  break  with  Charles,  and  make 
peace  with  France. 

But  Wolsey's  fall  was  near  at  hand.  It  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  Catharine  of  Arragon,  when  she  married  the 


Why  was  Henry  VIII.  called  '    Defender  of  the  faith  ?" 
When,  and  with    what  effect  did  Charles  V.  make  a  6e?oi!d  TlHt  to 
England  ? 
What  misfortune  happened  to  Francis  I.  f 
Did  Henry  anc*  tho  emperor  Charles  quarrel? 


226  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

king,  was  the  widow  of  his  elder  brother  Arthur  Henry, 
after  the  arrival  of  many  years,  pretended  it  was  a  crime 
and  contrary  to  the  laws,  for  a  man  to  marry  his  brother's 
widow  ;  and  that  consequently  Catharine  was  not  his  law- 
ful wife.  These  scruples  were  increased  by  the  arrival 
at  court  of  Anne  Boleyn,  who  had  accompanied  the  king's 
sister,  Mary,  when  she  went  to  France,  and  had  been  edu- 
cated in  the  French  court,  and  returned  to  England  with 
all  her  English  beauty  adorned  by  French  grace  and  viva- 
city. 

The  king  was  so  much  captivated  by  Anne  BoleynV 
charms,  that  in  order  to  be  able  to  marry  her,  he  formed 
the  project  of  divorcing  the  queen.  In  this  project  he  was 
encouraged  by  Wolsey,  and  he  sent  to  Clement  VII.  who 
was  now  pope,  stating  his  scruples  about  his  marriage,  and 
suing  for  a  divorce. 

A  T)  1528  Clement  unwilling  to  displease  the  empe 
ror,  who  was  nephew  to  the  queen  of 
England,  declined  giving  a  decided  answer,  and  after 
keeping  Henry  in  suspense  for  more  than  a  year,  sent 
cardinal  Campeggio  to  England,  to  determine,  in  concert 
with  Wolsey,  the  validity  of  the  king's  marriage. 

Campeggio  exhorted  the  king  in  private  to  give  up  the 
thoughts  of  a  divorce ;  and  finding  his  exhortations  una- 
vailing, he  next  applied  to  the  queen,  advising  her  to  sub- 
mit to  the  king's  will,  and  retire  into  a  nunnery  ;  but  with 
her  also  he  was  unsuccessful.  After  another  year  spent 
in  delays  and  negotiations,  the  two  cardinals  proceeded 
to  the  important  trial  ;  but  they  both  seemed  unwilling  to 
come  to  any  decision,  and  the  king's  patience  was  nearly 
exhausted. 

It  was  now  visible  to  all  the  courtiers  that  Wolsey's 
favor  was  declining.  It  happened  about  this  time  that 
Gardiner  and  Fox,  the  king's  secretary  and  almoner,  acci- 
dentally fell  in  company  with  Thomas  Cranmer,  a  young 


Under  what  pretence  aid  Henry  VIII.  seek  a  divorce  from  Catharine 
Df  Arragon  ? 

Whom  did  Henry  wish  to  marry,  and  to  whom  did  he  sue  for  a  di 
vorce  ? 

Did  the  pope  immediately  satisfy  the  king  of  England  ? 

How  was  the  king's  divorce  procrastinated  1 

Who  was  Thomas  Cranmer  and  what  did  he  propose  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  227 

priest  of  Cambridge.  The  conversation  fell  on  trie  subject 
of  the  king's  divorce.  Cranmer  at  first  declined  giving 
any  opinion  upon  it,  but  being  pressed,  he  said  that,  were 
he  king,  he  would  spend  no  more  time  in  fruitless  negotia 
tions  with  Rome,  but  would  apply  to  the  universities,  and 
to  the  most  learned  men  of  Europe,  proposing  to  them  this 
plain  question,  "  Can  a  man  marry  his  brother's  widow  V 

The  two  doctors  were  much  struck  with  this  hint,  and 
mentioned  it  to  the  king.  Cranmer  was  immediately  sent 
for  to  court,  and  the  king  was  so  much  pleased  with  him, 
that  he  retained  him  in  his  service,  and  engaged  him  to 
write  a  book  in  favor  of  a  divorce. 

From  this  time  Wolsey's  influence  greatly  decreased. 
Anne  Boleyn,  who  suspected  that  he  opposed  her  elevation 
(o  the  throne,  joined  with  Wolsey's  enemies  in  plotting  his 
downfall :  but  their  schemes  were  so  secret,  that  when  the 
king  was  prevailed  on  to  permit  an  indictment  to  be  brought 
against  him  for  having  unlawfully  procured  himself  to  be 
appointed  the  pope's  legate  in  England,  Wolsey  was  quite 
stunned  at  the  unexpected  blow.  The  great  seal  was  taken 
from  him,  and  given  to  sir  Thomas  More,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  retire  to  Esher,  near  Hampton  Court. 

Wolsey's  house  at  York-place  in  London,  which  was 
furnished  like  a  royal  palace,  was  taken  possession  of  by 
the  king,  who  also  seized  on  the  remainder  of  his  proper- 
ty, even  on  his  clothes,  and  on  a  magnificent  tomb  which 
he  had  prepared  for  himself  at  Windsor.  Wolsey  on  this 
immediately  dismissed  his  train  of  attendants;  but  as  he 
had  always  been  a  most  indulgent  master,  some  of  his 
servants,  amongst  whom  was  his  secretary,  Thomas  Crom- 
well, refused  to  leave  him. 

The  king's  resentment  against  his  former  favorite 
seemed  to  subside  after  he  had  stripped  him  of  his  wealth. 
tie  sent  him  a  general  pardon,  and  allowing  him  to  retain 
a  part  of  his  revenues,  sent  him  to  reside  in  his  diocese  ol 
York.  He  there  conducted  himself  with  tte  greatest 
kindness  towards  his  clergy,  telling  them  he  was  come  to 


In  what  was  Cranmer  employed  by  the  kii  g  of  England  ? 

What  happened  to  Wolsey  1530?" 

Was  Wolsey  entirely  dispossessed  of  his  wealth  ? 

Did  Henrj  ever  relent  in  his  displeasure  against  Wolsey  f 


228  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

live  amongst  them  as  a  friend  and  brother.     Still,  hew 
ever,   adversity  did  not  cure  him  of  his  love  of  magnifi- 
cence and  expense,  which  again  drew  on  him  the  king's 
displeasure. 

By  Henry's  order,  Wolsey  was  at  last  arrested  of  high 
treason,  and  was  hist  taken  to  lord  Shrewsbury's  house  at 
Sheffield  Park,  where  he  was  to  remain  till  the  king's  fur- 
ther pleasure  should  be  known.  While  he  was  there, 
anxiety  of  mind  threw  him  into  a  violent  illness  ;  and  when 
sir  William  Kingston  arrived  to  conduct  him  to  the  Tower, 
he  was  little  able  to  bear  the  journey. 

Wolsey,  though  in  a  dying  condition,  set  out.  On  the 
evening  of  the  third  day,  they  reached  Leicester  Abbey, 
and  Wolsey  said  to  the  abbot,  who  came  to  the  gate  to 
receive  him,  "  My  father,  I  am  come  to  lay  my  bones 
amongst  you."  He  was  lifted  from  his  mule  and  carried 
to  his  bed,  from  which  he  never  rose.  He  died  Nov.  29, 
1530. 


A  T)  i  rqo  Henry  and  Francis  had  another  mtei- 
view  near  Boulogne,  and  amidst  the 
masques  and  entertainments  which  took  place  on  this  oc- 
casion, made  new  treaties  of  alliance  with  one  another. 
At  one  of  these  masques,  Anne  Boleyn  danced  with  the 
king  of  France,  who  presented  her  with  a  valuable  jewel, 
and  promised  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  promote  the  king's 
divorce  and  her  marriage.  Soon  after  the  English  court 
returned  home,  and  she  and  Henry  were  privately  married. 

A  D  l  *m  Cranmer  was  promoted  to  the  see  of  Can- 
terbury, and  proceeded  to  try  the  validity 
of  the  king's  marriage  with  Catharine.  A  sort  of  tribunal 
was  assembled  at  Dunstable,  and  after  a  fortnight  spent  in 
hearing  arguments,  and  reading  opinions,  sentence  of  di- 
vorce was  pronounced,  declaring  the  king's  marriage  with 
Catharine  of  Arragon  null  and  void  from  the  beginning, 
tmd  her  daughter  illegitimate. 

What  effect  had  his  misfortunes  upon  Wolsey  ? 

Where  did  Wolsey  die  ? 

What  occurred  to  Henry  VIII.  in  1532  ? 

When  and  where  was  the  question  of  Henry's  diverge  settled  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  229 

Henry's  marriage  with  Anne  Boleyn  was  declared  a  alid, 
and  she  was  three  days  afterwards  crowned,  and  received 
as  queen.  The  divorced  queen  firmly  refused  to  allow  the 
legality  of  the  sentence  against  her.  She  led  a  melan- 
choly and  secluded  life  at  Ampthill,  near  Wobu'rn,  til] 
1536,  when  she  died. 

The  news  of  the  sentence  passed  against  Catharine  ex* 
cited  the  most  violent  commotion  at  the  court  of  Rome. 
Clement  could  not  at  first  determine  what  part  to  take 
At  last  he  made  an  angry  decree  confirming  the  legality 
of  the  king's  first  marriage. 

Henry,  in  a  violent  passion  at  the  pope's  decree,  imme- 
diately upon  it  called  a  parliament,  which  declared  the 
king's  supremacy  over  the  church  of  England  and  denying 
all  authority  of  the  pope  in  England,  bestowed  upon  the 
king  all  the  emoluments  and  revenues  that  had  hitherto  been 
paid  to  the  see  of  Rome  out  of  theecclessiastical  benefices 
in  England.  Two  years  afterwards  another  parliament 
passed  an  act  to  dissolve  376  of  the  small  monasteries  and 
nunneries,  and  bestow  all  their  possessions  on  the  king. 

Commissioners  were  sent  all  over  the  kingdom  requiring 
every  one  to  subscribe  to  the  act  that  had  declared  the  king 
to  be  the  head  of  the  church.  Sir  Thomas  More,  who 
had  resigned  the  chancellorship  some  time  before,  refused 
to  take  the  oath  required.  Fisher,  bishop  of  Rochester, 
refused  also  ;  and  both  these  men,  whose  learning  and  wis- 
dom had  made  them  ornaments  of  their  country,  were  be- 
headed. 

Anne  Boleyn's  enjoyment  of  a  crown  was  of  short  du- 
ration. Her  French  manners  and  vivacity,  though  they 
had  pleased  the  king  on  their  first  acquaintance,  displeased 
him  after  she  became  queen;  and  soon  after  the  birth  of  a 
daughter  (afterwards  queen  Elizabeth,)  he  seems  to  have 
'ost  all  his  affection  for  her.  He  either  believed,  or  affected 
to  believe,  that  she  had  conducted  herself  with  great  irnrro* 


Where  did  Catharine  of  Arragon  end  her  days  ? 
How  did  the  pope  receive  the  news  of  the  king's  divorce  ? 
Did  Henry  assert  the  independence  of  the  English  church  ' 
Did  all  persons  in  England  admit  the  king's  supremacy  1 
Did  queen  Anne  Boleyn  retain  the  king's  affections  .' 


230  EN.LISH  HISTORY. 

priely  ;  and  on  the  2d  of  May,  1536,  she  was  committed 
*o  the  Tower. 

It  would  be  a  melancholy  task  to  go  through  the  history 
of  this  unhappy  young  creature.  Accused  of  a  crime  ol 
which  she  was  innocent,  denied  the  sight  of  her  parents, 
and  surrounded  by  her  bitterest  enemies,  she  paid  very 
dearly  for  her  temporary  exaltation.  She  was  tried  with- 
out being  allowed  an  advocate  to  plead  her  cause.  Her 
marriage  was  pronounced  void,  and  her  child  declared  il- 
legitimate. She  was  beheaded,  and  the  king  the  next  day 
was  married  to  Jane  Seymour,  daughter  of  sir  Thoma? 
Seymour  of  Wiltshire. 

The  new  queen's  disposition  was  a  happy  medium  be- 
tween the  gravity  of  Catharine  and  the  volatility  of  Anne ; 
and  she  might  perhaps  have  retained  the  king's  affections 
longer  than  either  of  her  predecessors  had  done,  if  her 
death,  soon  after  the  birth  of  a  son,  had  not  dissolved  her 
union  with  him  in  less  than  a  year.  Henry  now  looked 
about  in  foreign  courts  for  a  suitable  partner. 

On  the  death  of  Wolsey,  Cromwell,  his  faithful  friend 
and  servant,  had  entered  into  the  service  of  the  king,  and 
had  risen  in  favor  till  he  was  at  last  made  chancellor.  He, 
being  a  zealous  friend  to  the  Reformation,  was  desirous 
that  Henry  should  ally  himself  to  one  of  the  Protestant 
princes  of  Germany,  and  procured  a  portrait,  painted  by 
Holbein,  of  the  princess,  Anne  of  Cleves,  to  show  to  the 
king. 

Henry  was  so  much  pleased  with  the  portrait,  that  he 
sent  to  demand  the  lady  in  marriage.  When  she  arrived 
in  England,  the  king  found  her  so  unlike  the  picture,  that 
he  was  with  difficulty  persuaded  to  marry  her  ;  and  when 
he  discovered  that  she  was  stupid  and  ignorant,  and  could 
speak  no  language  but  Dutch,  he  disliked  her  more  than 
before,  and  resolved  on  being  divorced  from  her. 

But,  as  a  first  step,  he  beheaded  Cromwell,  because  he 
Lad  been  the  adviser  of  this  unlucky  marriage.  He  then 
summoned  a  parliament  which  pronounced  the  marriage 


How  was  Anne  Boleyn  treated  ? 
How  long  did  Jane  Seymour  live  after  marriage  ? 
Who  commended  Anne  of  Cleves  to  Henry  VIII  ? 
Ifnvdid  Henry  divorce  Anne  of  Cleves  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  231 

void,  and  !hat  each  party  was  at  liberty  to  marry  again. 
Anne,  however  did  not  avail  herself  of  this  permission. 
She  had  an  ample  income  assigned  her,  and  the  palace  at 
Richmond,  and  spent  the  remainder  of  her  life  in  England, 
to  all  appearance  very  contentedly  ;  glad,  perhaps,  to  have 
got  rid  of  her  capricious  husband  without  losing  her  head. 

A  fortnight  after  this  divorce  had  been  passed,  Catharine 
Howard,  niece  of  the  duke  of  Norfolk,  was  presented  to 
the  court  as  queen  ;  the  kinghaving  already  been  privately 
married  to  her.  Henry  was  so  much  charmed  with  the 
wit  and  agreeableness  of  his  new  wife  that  he  caused  a 
thanksgiving  prayer  to  be  made  for  his  happy  marriage. 
But  his  happiness  was  soon  overcast.  He  discovered  her 
conduct  to  have  been  very  abandoned,  and  she  was  be 
headed  Feb.  12,  1542. 

A  T)  1  ^43  Henry  seemed  now  tired  of  marrying  for 
'  beauty,  and  he  looked  out  in  his  next  wife 
for  sense  and  discretion,  which  he  happily  found  in  Catha- 
rine Parr,  the  widow  of  lord  Latimer.  To  her  he  was 
married,  and  this  lady  by  her  extraordinary  good  sense 
and  prudence,  contrived  to  preserve  the  good  opinion  of 
the  king  till  his  death 


The  demolition  of  the  monasteries  and  the  dispersion  of 
the  monks  and  nuns  was  too  violent  a  measure  to  be  taken 
quietly.  In  1534  a  disturbance  was  excited  in  Kent  by  a 
woman  who  pretended  to  have  revelations  from  heaven. 
Her  name  was  Elizabeth  Barton,  but  she  is  better  known 
by  that  of  the  Maid  of  Kent.  The  imposition  was  soon 
discovered,  and  the  insurrection  quelled.  A  more  formida- 
ble one  broke  out  two  years  after  in  Yorkshire  and  Lin- 
colnshire, but  the  rioters  were  soon  dispersed. 

The  spirit  of  discontent  was,  however,  still  in  the  country, 


How  did  Anne  of  Cleves  spend  her  life  ? 
On  wnat  account  was  Catharine  Howard  beheaded  ? 
Who  was  the  last  wife  of  Henry  VIII  ? 

Did  the  English  nation  willingly  submit  to  the  change  in  church  affairs  ! 
How  did  Henry  VIII.  attempt  to  suppress  populai  discontent  in  Eng 
land? 


232  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

and  the  king  sought  to  crush  it  by  severe  punishments  and 
numerous  executions.  In  1538  he  entered  into  a  friendly 
alliance  with  the  protestant  princes  in  Germany :  but  as 
their  object  was  to  promote  the  reformed  religion,  and 
Henry's  only  to  spite  and  annoy  the  pope  and  the  empe- 
ror, the  king  of  England  and  his  new  allies  could  not  act 
together  with  any  real  cordiality. 

The  pope  on  his  side  lost  no  opportunity  of  injuring 
Henry,  and  employed  the  cardinal  de  la  Pole  to  foment 
disturbances  in  England.  Pole  was  the  king's  second 
cousin.  He  had  been  educated  at  Henry's  expense,  and 
long  experienced  his  favor,  but  forfeited  it  by  joining 
warmly  with  the  pope  in  condemning  the  king's  divorce. 
Clement  made  Pole  a  cardinal,  and  sent  him  as  a  legate 
into  Flanders,  that  he  might  with  the  more  facility  corre- 
spond with  his  friends  in  England,  and  carry  on  his  plots 
against  the  progress  of  reformation  in  England. 

These  conspiracies  were  not  carried  on  so  secretly  but 
that  Henry  obtained  some  hint  of  them  ;  and  the  cardi- 
nal's two  brothers  were  executed  in  consequence.  Even 
Pole's  -aged  mother,  the  countess  of  Salisbury,  was  not 
spared.  This  venerable  and  last  remaining  Plantagenet 
was  beheaded  for  having  received  a  letter  from  her  son. 

The  rich  spoils  the  king  had  got  by  dissolving  the  small- 
er monasteries  had  made  him  greedy  of  more ;  and  in  1539 
his  obsequious  parliament  passed  an  act  for  putting  at  his 
disposal  all  the  remaining  religious  houses,  which  either 
had  been  or  should  be  surrendered  to  him.  The  king  was 
not  backward  in  forcing  them,  by  all  sorts  of  means,  to 
surrender.  In  1545  another  act  was  passed,  which  even 
empowered  him  to  seize  the  revenues  of  the  universities. 
But  these  were  spared  (as  some  have  said)  by  the  inter- 
cession of  queen  Catharine  Parr. 

A  D  TU1  Henry,  who  was  very  fond  of  royal  in- 
terviews, was  now  desirous  of  having  on« 
with  his  nephew  the  king  of  Scotland  (James  V. ;)  and  a 
meeting  was  to  have  taken  place  at  York.  Henry  and  hia 
court  kept  the  appointment,  and  waited  for  some  days  ;  but 

Did  the  pope  endeavor  to  recover  aia  authority  in  England  ? 
By  what  cruel  measures  did  Henry  oppose  Cardinal  Pole  ? 
Did  Henry  persevere  in  his  dissolution  of  monasteries? 
On  what  pretence  did  Henry  VIII.  make  war  with  Scotland  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  233 

the  king  of  Scots,  having  been  prevented  by  his  clergy 
never  came,  and  Henry  was  so  much  enraged  at  this  in- 
sult that  he  declared  war  against  him.  The  English  army 
obtained  an  important  victory  at  Solway  Moss,  and  James 
was  so  much  overwhelmed  when  he  heard  of  it  that  he 
sunk  into  a  settled  melancholy,  and  died  December  14, 
1542,  leaving  an  infant  princess  only  seven  days  old. 

This  princes  wna  the  celebrated  Mary  queen  of  Scots, 
whose  unhappy  life  and  death  will  be  related  in  its  proper 
place.  Henry  was  desirous  to  procure  a  marriage  between 
the  young  queen  of  Scotland  and  his  son,  Edward  prince 
of  Wales,  andused  both  force  and  artifice  to  bring  it  about. 
He  wanted  also  to  be  made  protector  of  Scotland  during 
the  queen's  minority  ;  but  the  Scots  were  too  bold  to  be 
frightened,  and  too  wary  to  be  ensnared. 

After  Henry  and  the  emperor  had  been  at  open  enmity 
many  years  a  reconciliation  took  place  between  them ;  and 
Henry,  who  with  all  his  violence  of  temper  and  self-con- 
ceit was  generally  the  dupe  of  others,  was  drawn  in  to  make 
war  on  Francis.  Charles  and  Henry,  at  the  head  of  their 
armies,  joined  each  other  near  Calais  ;  and  though  the  latter 
was  now  grown  fat  and  unwieldy,  he  appeared  in  person  in 
the  field  and  laid  siege  to  Boulogne,  which  was  soon  taken. 

The  king  of  France  now  pretended  to  negotiate  a 
peace  with  the  two  potentates.  But  while  the  ambassadors 
were  going  through  their  formal  ceremonials,  a  Dominican 
friar  who  was  in  their  train,  and  had  secret  instructions 
from  Francis,  concluded  a  separate  peace  with  the  empe- 
ror, who  withdrew  his  army,  and  left  his  friend  and  ally  to 
take  care  of  himself.  Henry  returned  to  England,  after 
leaving  a  garrison  at  Boulogne. 

A  T)  1  ^dfi  Peacewasmade  between  France  and  Eng- 
land ;  and  it  was  agreed  that  Boulogne, 
which  had  been  bravely  defended  against  all  attempts 
Francis  had  made  to  regain  it,  should  remain  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  English  for  eight  years,  after  which  time  il 


Who  was  the  only  daughter  of  James  V.  of  Scot  and,  and  what  inter 
Eft  did  the  king  of  England  take  in  her  affairs  ? 
Did  Henry  engage  in  a  new  war  with  France  ? 
Did  Francis  I.  deal  deceitfully  with  Henry  ? 
Did  Heniy  make  peace  with  France  and  Scotland  ? 
II 


234  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

was  to  be  given  up  to  France  on  the  payment  of  a  certain 
bum  of  money.  Peace  was  also  about  this  time  made  with 
Scotland;  and  Henry,  being  no  longer  troubled  with  for 
eign  enemies,  had  the  more  time  to  torment  his  own  sub- 
jects. 

Henry  required  the  people  to  make  his  opinion  the 
standard  of  their  faith,  and  was  continually  changing  that 
opinion,  and  making  contradictory  laws,  so  it  was  scarcely 
possible  for  his  subjects  to  steer  a  safe  course  among  the 
difficulties  which  his  tyrannical  caprice  laid  in  their  way. 
Many  were  put  to  death  for  denying  his  supremacy.  To- 
wards the  end  of  his  life  he  became  dropsical,  which  being 
added  to  his  unwieldy  corpulence,  disabled  him  from  walk 
mg,  and  made  him  "  more  furious  than  a  chained  lion. ■ 

These  infirmities,  indeed,  so  greatly  increased  the  natu 
ral  violence  and  irritability  of  his  temper,  that  every  body 
was  afraid  to  come  near  him.  Even  the  queen,  though  she 
was  his  most  attentive  nurse,  with  all  her  patience  and  dis- 
cretion, very  narrowly  escaped  being  impeached  for  high 
treason,  in  consequence  of  having  one  day  displeased  him 
by  expressing  herself  warmly  in  a  religious  argument. 
Indeed,  his  tyranny  and  caprice  were  such  that  none  could 
feel  themselves  secure. 


A  D  154fi  Among  the  instances  of  Henry's  injustice 
and  cruelty,  the  death  of  lord  Surrey  is 
tis  mucn  as  any  to  be  detested.  The  duke  of  Norfolk  and 
his  son,  lord  Surrey,  were  committed  to  the  Tower. 
The  duke  had  been  one  of  the  king's  earliest  favorites, 
and  lord  Surrey  was  one  of  the  m:*st  accomplished  noble- 
men in  England,  and  had  by  his  talents  and  acquirements 
retained  the  king's  regard  for  many  years.  Both  these 
noblemen  were  supporters  of  the  Roman  Catholic  cause 


How  did  Henry  manifest  exceeding  fickleness  of  purpose  and  violence 
if  temper  ? 

Was  the  king's  violence  ever  expressed  towards  -jueen  Catharine  P«nr  ? 

"Upon  what  pretence  were  the  duke  of  Norfolk  and  sent  his  sou  to  tht< 
Towot  1 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  235 

and  some  people  thought  that  a  fear  lest  they  shoi  Id  dis- 
turb the  peace  of  the  young  Edward's  reign,  when  he 
should  come  to  the  throne,  was  the  real  cause  of  their  ruin. 

Whatever  the  cause  was,  the  charges  actually  brought 
against  them  were  frivolous.  The  chief  charges  against 
lord  Surrey  were  that  he  had  quartered  in  his  coat  ol 
arms  the  aims  of  Edward  the  Confessor,  which  had  been 
done  by  all  his  ancestors  ;  and  that  he  studied  Italian,  and 
was  fond  of  conversing  with  foreigners,  which  made  it  pro- 
bable that  he  corresponded  with  cardinal  de  la  Pole.  He 
was  declared  guilty  of  high  treason,  and  was  beheaded 
Jan.  19,  1547. 

The  duke  of  Norfolk  seemed  to  cling  to  life  with  more 
solicitude  than  his  accomplished  son  had  done.  He  tried 
every  concession  that  he  could  think  of  to  soften  the  king : 
but  Henry,  as  if  he  thirsted  for  his  blood,  hurried  on  the 
proceedings  of  parliament,  and  his  death-warrant  was 
signed  Jan.  27,  but  before  it  could  be  executed  the  king 
expired,  and  thus  his  victim  escaped. 

Henry  died  in  the  56th  year  of  his  age,  and  the  38th  oi 
his  reign.  He  had  been  six  times  married,  and  left  three 
children — Edward,  by  Jane  Seymour,  who  succeeded  him  ; 
Mary,  by  Catharine  of  Arragon,  Elizabeth,  by  Anne  Boleyn, 
who  both  were  afterwards  queens  of  England. 

Though  Henry  had  declared  both  his  daughters  illegiti- 
mate, he  appointed  them  in  his  will,  after  their  brother,  to 
the  succession  of  the  crown.  In  case  they  all  died  without 
children,  he  left  the  succession  after  them  to  the  children 
and  heirs  of  his  youngest  sister,  the  duchess  of  Brandon, 
to  the  entire  exclusion  of  his  eldest  sister  Margaret,  who 
after  the  death  of  her  first  husband,  the  king  of  Scotland, 
had  married  the  earl  of  Angus,  and  had  one  daughter,  wife 
of  the  earl  of  Lenox,  and  mother  of  Henry  Darnley,  of 
whom  we  shall  hear  more. 


WickliflVs  opinions  notwithstanding  the  early  persecu- 
tions of  his  followers,  had  never  been  eradicated.    During 

Upon  what  charges  was  lord  Surrey  executed  ? 

How  did  the  duke  of  Norfolk  escape  ? 

At  what  age  did  Henry  VIII.  die,  and  who  were  1  is  family  ? 

How  did  Henry  VIII.  order  the  sucession  ? 

Had  tie  Lollards  been  eradicated  in  England? 


236  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

the  long  civil  wars  the  government  had  so  many  carts,  that 
it  attended  but  little  to  any  affairs  of  religion.  Ci  nse- 
quently  the  Lollards  increased  in  number  ;  and  in  the  early 
part  of  this  reign  their  opinions  gathered  strength  from  the 
success  of  their  protestant  brothers  in  Germany,  where 
Luther,  a  new  reformer,  had  arisen,  and  drew  people  more 
and  more  from  popery.  Henry  VIII.  at  first  treated  the 
Lollards  with  the  utmost  rigor,  but  relaxed  towards  them 
at  the  time  of  his  quarrel  with  the  pope. 

This  reign  is  generally  considered  as  the  era  of  the  Re- 
formation in  England,  and  much  certainly  was  at  this  time 
done  towards  it.  The  country  was  freed  from  subjection 
to  the  pope :  the  clergy  were  made  amenable  to  the  same 
laws  with  the  laity.  But  the  same  caprice  and  violence 
of  temper  that  had  made  the  king  do  thus  much  prevented 
him  from  completing  the  great  work  he  had  begun.  He 
abolished  the  religious  houses  with  all  their  rules  and  ob- 
servances, and  yet  appointed  priests  to  say  masses  for  his 
own  soul.  He  forbade  the  worship  of  images,  and  com- 
manded the  church  service  to  be  read  in  English :  and  yet 
he  burnt  many  persons  for  heresy. 

Henry  permitted  the  Bible  to  be  translated,  and  then  for- 
bade it  to  be  read  except  by  particular  persons.  But  not- 
withstanding all  the  impediments  the  king's  inconsistencies 
put  in  the  way  of  the  Reformation,  and  the  steadier  oppo- 
sition of  the  Romish  clergy,  the  pure  light  of  the  new  re- 
ligion was  still  kept  burning,  chiefly  through  the  firm  per- 
severance of  Cranmer,  till  in  time  it  cleared  away  the 
darkness  of  superstition  and  popery. 

Tb  e  great  men  of  this  reign  demand  some  consideration. 
Few  characters  known  in  history  deserve  more  commen- 
dation than  Cranmer.  He  was  the  only  one  of  Henry's 
favorites  who  had  no  little  selfish  views  of  his  own.  His 
whole  soul  was  placed  on  one  great  object — the  reforma- 
tion of  religion ;  and  to  that  all  the  powers  of  his  mind 
were  applied.  Wolsey's  great  abilities  were  chiefly  em- 
ployed m  raising  himself  to  the  highest  worldly  dignity. 
Cromwell,  thovgh  a  zealous  reformer,  was  intent  onenrich- 


Pid  Henry  VIII.  promote  tht  Reformation  of  Christianity  f 
By  whose  influence  was  the  reformation  advanced  ? 
Who  were  tie  cHe.r  men  of  Henry's  reign  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  237 

ing  himself  from  the  pillage  of  the  religious  houses.  And 
the  other  courtiers,  one  and  all,  had  their  own  narrow  sel- 
fish ends  to  serve. 

Such  is  the  power  of  virtue  over  vice,  that  the  overbear- 
ing Henry  stood  in  awe  of  the  gentle-tempered  Cranmer. 
The  king's  regard  for  him  was  at  all  times  sincere  ;  and  at 
one  time,  when  Gardiner  and  the  duke  of  Norfolk  thought 
they  had  got  the  king's  consent  to  have  him  sent  to  the 
Tower,  Henry  privately  warned  the  archbishop  of  the  plot, 
and  advised  him  how  to  defeat  the  malice  of  his  enemies, 
who  were  the  chief  supporters  of  the  popish  party. 

Cranmer  was  very  anxious  that  the  public  service  of  the 
church  should  be  in  English  instead  of  Latin,  but  he  knew 
that  the  king  would  violently  oppose  such  a  change.  He 
therefore  thought  best  to  lead  to  it  by  degrees  ;  and  when 
a  prayer  was  to  be  composed  for  the  king's  preservation  in 
the  expedition  to  France  in  1544,  Cranmer  besought  him 
that  it  might  be  composed  in  English,  that  the  people  might 
pray  with  more  fervor  from  understanding  what  they 
uttered.  By  degrees  Cranmer  gained  permission  to  have 
the  Lord's  prayer  also,  the  creed,  and  the  commandments, 
read  in  English  in  the  churches  ;  and  the  year  before  the 
king's  death  the  liturgy  was  added. 

Some  few  copies  remained  of  WicklifTe's  translation  of 
the  Bible,  but  Cranmer  was  desirous  of  obtaining  a  better 
translation.  At  last  he  got  the  king's  permission  to  have 
one  made,  but  it  was  four  years  before  the  work  was  com- 
pleted. These  Bibles,  when  they  at  length  appeared,  were 
received  with  thankfulness  all  over  the  kingdom  :  they 
were  placed  in  churches,  and  secured  by  a  chain  to  the 
reading  desk.  The  people  flocked  to  the  places  where 
ihey  could  hear  the  Bible  read,  and  many  persons  learned 
to  read,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  perusing  it.  But  Henry, 
in  the  latter  part  of  hs  life,  withdrew  this  general  privi- 
lege, and  would  not  permit  the  Bible  to  be  read  by  the 
lower  orders  of  the  people. 


What  influence  had  Cranmer  over  the  mind  of  Henry  T 
What  services  did  Cranmer  render  to  religion  ? 

Did  Cranmer  procure  the  scriptures  to  be  translated,  ana  dVi  rnlkien 
.ispose  the  English  to  improve  in  learning  ? 


238 


ENGLISH  HISTORY. 


It  was  cruel  to  deprive  them  of  their  Bibles  yet  by 
learning  to  read,  they  had  gained  something  that  the  king 
could  not  take  away  from  them.  The  increase  of  books, 
through  the  invention  of  printing,  had  already  made  the 
English  much  greater  readers  than  formerly ;  but  in  re- 
gard to  writing  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  much  ad- 
vanced. In  that  art  but  a  small  number  was  then  in- 
structed. 

Not  all  the  learned  men  of  that  time  were  reformers. 
Two  of  the  greatest  ornaments  of  this  reign  were  zealous 
papists,  sir  Thomas  More,  and  lord  Surrey.  The  latter, 
was  a  poet,  and  a  man  of  elegant  literature.  The  former, 
besides  his  learning,  possessed  a  sarcastic  wit  which  he 
could  not  help  indulging  even  when  on  the  scaffold.  Eras- 
mus also,  though  a  native  of  Holland,  greatly  aided  the 
progress  of  learning  in  this  country.  He  taught  Greek  at 
Oxford,  till  he  was  driven  thence  by  the  violence  of  the 
popish  party,  who,  alarmed  at  the  appearance  of  any  thing 
new,  thought  the  study  of  Greek  a  dangerous  innovation- 
Cardinal  Wolsey,  also  a  Catholic,  was  a  great  man.  He 
began  the  building  of  Hampton  Court,  intending  it  for  his 
own  residence.  He  began  also  the  building  of  Christ 
Church,  in  Oxford,  meaning  to  call  it  Cardinal  College  • 
but  after  his  disgrace  Henry  seized  on  the  revenues  with 
which  Wolsey  had  endowed  it,  and  completing  the  build- 
ing, took  upon  himself  the  credit  of  founding  it.  On  his 
death-bed  he  uttered  these  affecting  words  : — "  Had  I  but 
served  my  God  as  diligently  as  I  have  served  my  king,  he 
*vould  not  have  left  me  in  my  grey  hairs." 

The  trade  in  African  slaves  was  first  practised  by  tne 
English  nation  in  this  reign. 

Were  the  people  of  England  generally  able  to  write  m  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.  ? 

Who  were  sir  Thomas  More,  lord  Surrey,  ami  Erasmus  ? 

Had  Cardinal  Wolsey  any  loyalty  and  public  spirit? 

What  inhuman  traffic  commenced  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII  i.  2 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  239 

CHAPTER    XXVI. 

EDWARD  VI. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1547—1553.] 

Edward  was  in  his  tenth  year  when  his  father  died.  He 
had  already  displayed  a  gentleness  of  character  that  en- 
deared him  to  those  about  him.  Henry  had  appointed 
sixteen  executors  and  twelve  counsellors,  to  whom  he  en 
trusted  the  care  of  the  king  and  kingdom.  But  at  the  first 
meeting  of  the  executors,  they  deviated  from  Henry  s  will, 
by  makinglord Hertford,  Edward's  eldest  uncle,  whom  the\ 
created  duke  of  Somerset,  protector  of  the  kingdom. 

The  protector,  who  was  a  favorer  of  the  Protestants,  war? 
careful  to  entrust  the  education  of  the  king  to  men  of  the 
reformed  religion.  Edward's  young  mind  readily  imbibed 
their  opinions ;  and  he  showed  a  knowledge,  zeal,  and 
early  piety,  that  was  quite  extraordinary  in  a  boy  of  hi? 
age.  The  completion  of  the  Reformation  itself,  which  had 
been  left  in  a  very  unfinished  state  at  the  death  of  Henry 
was  Somerset's  next  care. 

A  commission  was  formed  for  drawing  up  a  book  of 
offices ;  that  is,  a  prayer  book,  to  be  used  in  churches, 
for  the  general  use  of  the  church.  Cranmer,  and  Ridley 
afterwards  bishop  of  London,  were  at  the  head  of  this  com- 
mission. They  agreed  to  make  every  thing  as  near  as 
they  could  to  the  practice  of  the  pine  and  early  ages  of  the 
Gospel.  They  retained  many  of  the  prayers  that  had  been 
used  in  the  service  of  the  Romish  church,  and  fixed  the 
Liturgy  nearly  as  it  is  now. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  lower  orders  of  the  people 
were  won  over  to  the  reformed  religion  ;  and  many  of  the 
higher  orders,  some  from  conviction,  and  some  for  the  sake 
of  doing  as  others  did,  abjured  popery.  Those  who  had 
obtained  grants  of  abbey  lands,  warmly  supported  the  views 
of  the  protector.     Thus  the  nation  was  in  a  great  measure 

Whom  did  the  executors  of  Henry  VIII.  appoint  protector  during  the 
minority  of  his  son  ? 

Did  the  protector  regard  the  young  king's  education,  and  the  interests 
oi  religion  generally  ? 

What  commission  was  appointed  to  regulate  the  public  worship  ? 

Was  the  nation  brought  to  conformity  in  religion  ? 


240  ENGLISH  HISTCAY. 

brought  to  a  seeming  conformity  in  religion.     Bishop  Gar- 
diner, however,  still  stood  out,  and  opposed  every  new  re 
gulation  that  was  made. 

It  appears  that  the  Scottish  nation  did  not  consent  to  the 
marriage  of  their  infant  queen  with  the  king  of  England. 
Perhaps  they  wished  to  preserve  themselves  a  separate 
kingdom  ;  andbeing  generally  Catholics,  many  did  notlike 
a  king  of  the  reformed  religion.  But  Henry  was  prepared 
for  opposition  to  his  will  in  this  matter,  and  left  an  injunc- 
tion to  his  executors  to  compel  the  Scots  to  this  marriage. 

The  protector,  to  fulfil  the  injunction  of  Henry,  fitted 
out  a  fleet  of  sixty  sail ;  and  marched  with  an  army  ot 
1 8,000  men  into  Scotland,  and  advanced  within  four  miles 
of  Edinburgh  ;  and  the  governor  of  Scotland  summoned  the 
whole  force  of  the  kingdom  to  repel  this  formidable  inva- 
sion. The  English  gained  considerable  advantage  in  their 
encounter  with  the  Scots  ;  and  had  Somerset  pursued  his 
advantage,  he  might  have  conquered  Scotland  :  but  he  had 
received  intelligence  of  some  cabals  that  were  going  on  at 
home,  which  made  him  eager  to  return  to  England. 

The  Scots,  having  recovered  from  the  consternation 
which  this  defeat  had  caused,  were  more  than  ever  irritated 
against  the  English,  and  firmly  resolved  not  to  give  their 
queen  to  Edward.  Some  declared,  that,  "  though  they 
liked  the  match,  they  liked  not  the  manner  of  wooing  :' 
and  to  place  Mary  beyond  the  power  of  the  English,  they 
sent  her,  when  six  years  old,  to  be  educated  in  the  court 
of  France,  and  betrothed  her  to  the  dauphin. 

When  Somerset  returned  to  Westminster,  he  summoned 
a  parliament,  and  repealed  many  oppressive  laws,  and 
passed  others  which  were  wise  and  moderate,  and  for 
which  he  is  entitled  to  the  respect  of  posterity.  But,  though 
he  was  well-intentioned,  he  was  unfit  to  contend  with  the 
malice  of  those  who  were  envious  of  his  high  station. 
Amongst  his  enemies,  his  own  brother,  lord  Seymour,  was 
the  most  inveterate. 


Why  did  the  Scottish  nation  object  to  the  marriage  of  their  young  queer 
with  Edward  VI.  T 

How  did  Somerset  attempt  to  accomplish  the  late  king's  will  X 

Did  Somerset  effect  his  purpose  1 

Was  the  administration  of  Somerset  wise  and  beneficial,  and  who  wm 
bis  inveterate  enemy  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  241 

Seymour  had  been  appointed  lord  high  admiral,  but  as- 
pired to  supplant  his  brother,  whose  superior  in  abilities 
be  knew  himself  to  be. 

Seymour  was  indeed  a  man  of  great  powers  of  /lattery 
and  addiess,  and  had  won  so  much  on  the  good  opinion  of 
the  dowager  queen,  Catharine  Parr,  that  she  married  him 
very  soon  after  Henry's  death.  After  living  with  him  one 
year  she  died ;  and  his  ambition  then  aspired  to  the  princess 
Elizabeth,  who,  it  is  supposed,  would  have  listened  to  his 
suit,  had  it  not  been  opposed  by  the  other  officers  of  the 
state. 

Dudley,  earl  of  Warwick,  son  of  that  wicked  Dudley  who 
was  a  judge  in  Henry  the  Seventh's  reign,  used  every 
means  to  increase  the  disagreements  between  the  protector 
and  his  brother,  hoping  to  raise  his  own  greatness  on  the 
ruin  of  theirs.  He  led  on  the  admiral  to  commit  many 
rash  and  violent  actions,  and  persuaded  Somerset  to  com- 
mit him  for  high  treason.  His  condemnation  and  execu- 
tion soon  followed. 

Somerset  never  lost  sight  of  the  affairs  of  the  church,  and 
many  important  changes  were  made.  The  law  forbidding 
the  clergy  to  marry,  was  repealed  ;  and  a  law  was  passed 
which  inflicted  severe  penalties  on  those  who  persevered 
in  the  old  worship,  and  rejected  the  service  which  was  now 
appointed.  The  princess  Mary,  who  was  a  rigid  papist, 
alone  refused  to  conform  to  this  law. 

On  this  Mary's  chaplains  were  imprisoned,  and  she  her- 
self threatened  with  punishment :  but  when  she  appealed 
to  her  cousin  the  emperor,  and  made  an  attempt  to  escape 
from  England,  it  was  deemed  prudent  to  allow  of  her  hav- 
ing mass  performed  privately  in  her  house.  But  this  con- 
cession cost  the  young  king  many  tears,  so  criminal  did 
he  esteem  the  popish  faith  in  which  she  persevered. 

Although  the  destruction  of  the  religious  houses  has  pro 
bably  been  a  great  benefit  to  us  who  live  in  after  ages,  it 
must  have  been  a  very  bad  measure  at  ihe  time.  Many 
thousand  people  were  reduced  at  once  from  wealth  or  com- 

Wlv.)  persuaded  Somerset  to  prosecute  his  brother  ? 
Did  Somerset  persecute  the  Catholics  ? 
Was  the  princess  Mary  a  papist  ? 

What  became  of  the  monks  and  nuns  who  were  expelled  from  the  icli 
gious  house"? 


242  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

petence  to.  absolute  want.  Some  of  the  heads  of  the  sup 
pressed  houses  had  small  pittances  allowed  thtm  for  then 
lives  ;  but  the  monks  and  nuns  were  turned  adrift,  a  help- 
less race  of  creatures,  who  could  do  little  towards  their 
own  maintenance. 

It  was  a  hard  measure  to  those  countrymen  and  farmers 
who  had  enjoyed  the  church  lands  at  easy  rents  ;  and  there 
remained  also  a  still  more  numerous  body  of  sufferers,  the 
idle  poor,  who  had  be  en  daily  fed  at  the  convent  gates,  and 
scarcely  knew  how  to  work.  All  these  were  now  reduced 
to  want  and  obliged  to  seek  their  bread  by  labor. 

These  causes,  with  others,  made  the  year  1549  a  period 
of  insurrections  and  tumults  all  over  England.  The  pro- 
tector, who  really  compassionated  the  poor,  did  all  in  his 
power  to  relieve  their  distresses.  But,  while  he  was  be- 
friending them,  he  gave  offence  to  the  rich,  by  the  great 
state  and  almost  royal  dignity  which  he  assumed. 

A  confederacy,  headed  by  the  earl  of  Warwick,  was 
formed  against  him.  He  soon  saw  himself  deserted  by  all 
except  Cranmer,  and  by  Paget,  his  secretary ;  and,  sink- 
ing into  despondency,  he  resigned  the  protectorship.  He 
was  then  committed  to  the  Tower;  and  after  a  few  weeks' 
imprisonment,  was  heavily  fined,  deprived  of  all  his  offices, 
and  then  restored  to  liberty.  A  new  council  of  regency 
was  appointed,  and  the  earl  of  Warwick  placed  at  the 
head  of  it. 

Warwick,  not  satisfied  with  the  degradation  of  Somer- 
set, determined  on  his  death,  and  accused  him,  inl551,  of 
a  plot  to  raise  a  rebellion,  and  to  assassinate  himself  and 
other  pnvy  counsellors.  On  these  charges  he  was  tried, 
condemned,  and  executed,  to  the  sincere  grief  of  the  peo- 
ple, to  whom  his  goodness  of  heart  had  much  endeared  him. 

The  work  of  the  Reformation  was  still  continued,  but 
with  more  intemperance,  under  Warwick,  than  had  been 
ever  visible  while  the  affairs  of  the  nation  were  conducted 


What  effect  had  the  destruction  of  the  religious  houses  upon  the  condi- 
tion of  the  poor  in  England  1 

How  did  Somerset  regard  the  poor  ? 

By  whom  was  Somerset  deprived  of  the  regency  . 

By  what  false  charge  was  Somerset  degraded  and  destroyed  ? 

Did  the  stformers  commit  any  a;ts  if  injustice  in  the  reign  of  Edward 
VI? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  243 

by  the  milder  counsels  of  Somerset.  Gard.nei  was  de- 
prived of  his  bishopric,  and  thrown  into  prison.  Bonner, 
bishop  of  London,  was  also  committed  to  the  Tower ;  and 
many  of  the  clergy  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  trader 
for  a  maintenance,  being  reduced  to  poverty  by  the  greedy 
courtiers,  who  seized  on  a  large  portion  of  the  revenues 
of  the  church. 

The  earldom  of  Northumberland  having  some  years 
since  become  extinct,  Warwick,  a  short  time  before  the 
death  of  Somerset,  had  prevailed  with  Edward  to  make 
him  duke  of  Northumberland,  and  to  bestow  on  him  the 
estates  which  had  belonged  to  the  earldom,  and  which 
had  been  forfeited  to  the  crown. 

The  young  king  was  now  entirely  in  the  power  of 
Northumberland,  who  placed  his  son,  Robert  Dudley, 
about  his  person.  Edward.'s  health  declined  from  that 
time,  and  Northumberland  formed  the  project  of  raising 
one  of  his  own  sons  to  the  throne.  He  began  by  persuad- 
ing Edward,  that  as  both  his  sisters  had  been  declared 
illegitimate,  they  could  not  possibly  succeed  to  the  crown, 
and  that,  therefore,  by  virtue  of  his  father's  will,  the  suc- 
cession devolved  on  the  children  of  Mary,  the  dowager 
queen  of  France,  by  her  second  husband  the  duke  of 
Suffolk,  whore  eldest  daughter,  the  duchess  of  Dorset,  was 
the  undoubted  heir  to  the  crown.  The  duchess,  who  had 
no  son,  was  willing  to  resign  her  claim  to  her  eldest 
daughter,  lady  Jane  Grey,  and  NorLhumberland  married 
her  to  his  son,  Guildford  Dudley. 

Edward  felt  n3  scruple  about  depriving  his  sister  Mary 
of  her  birthright,  fearing  that  her  bigotry  would  be  hurtful 
to  the  Protestant  cause.  But  he  foit  many  regrets  in  re- 
gard to  the  princess  Elizabeth,  whom  he  affectionately 
loved.  He  however,  consented  to  settle  the  succession  on 
lady  Jane  Grey  ;  and  the  patent  of  settlement  was  signed 
by  all  the  great  officers  of  state. 

The  king,  who  had  been  for  many  months  in  a  very  de- 
licate state  of  health,  grew  rapidly  worse  ;  and  soon  aftei 


How  was  the  earl  ofWarwick  rendered  more  powerful  than  ever  ? 
How  did  Northumberland  overrule  the  succession,  and  what  waa  Lad} 
Jane  Grey's  title  to  the  crown  of  England  ? 
Upon  whom  was  the  succession  settled  ? 
Where  did  Edward  IV.  die? 


244  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

died,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1553,  in  the  sixteenth  y<ai  of  me 
age,  and  seventh  of  his  reign. 

Though  during  this  reign  tne  country  was  in  a  distracted 
and  divided  state  on  the  score  of  religion,  and  though  the 
officers  of  the  state  were  not  less  divided  and  distracted 
by  their  own  private  jealousies  and  cabals,  still  there  never 
had  been  any  former  time  when  the  commerce  of  England 
flourished  so  much. 

An  expedition,  consisting  of  two  ships  and  a  bark,  was 
sent  out  by  Edward  VI.  under  the  command  of  sir  Hugh 
Willoughby,  for  the  discovery  of  a  north-east  passage  to 
India ;  but  the  attempt  failed  ;  and  sir  Hugh,  and  all  the 
people  both  of  his  own  ship,  and  of  the  bark  which  kept 
company  with  him,  were  frozen  to  death  in  a  harbor  of 
Lapland.  Richard  Chancellor,  the  captain  of  the  other 
vessel,  was  more  fortunate,  and  returned  home  after  win- 
tering at  Archangel.  This  voyage  first  led  the  way  to  a 
lucrative  trade  with  Russia. 

A  code  of  articles  in  relation  to  public  worship  having 
been  thought  advisable,  the  better  to  bring  the  people  to  a 
conformity  in  religion,  Cranmer  was  appointed  to  make 
one  ;  and  he  drew  up  forty-two  articles,  from  which,  with 
some  slight  alterations  and  retrenchments,  the  presen 
Thirty-nine  Articles  are  formed. 

The  Thirty-nine  Articles  are  articles  of  belief,  which 
contain  a  short  summary  of  the  doctrines  of  the  church  ol 
England.  Besides  the  forty-two  articles,  Cranmer  also 
drew  up  the  church  catechism,  which  he  compiled  in 
great  measure  from  that  used  by  the  German  reformers, 
making  some  additions  of  his  own.  The  latter  part  of  the 
catechism  concerning  the  sacraments,  was  added  in  the 
reign  of  James  I. 

Cranmer,  notwithstanding  the  natural  moderation  of  his 
mind,  was  at  times  betrayed  into  the  furious  zeal  of  the 
age ;  and  it  must  be  lamented  that  he  condemned  two 
persons,  if  not  more,  to  be  burned,  for  being  Anabaptists, 


Did  commerce  flourish  in  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  ? 
What  •"oyage  of  discovery  was  undertaken  in  this  reign  ? 
What  articles  of  faith  to  be  acknowledged  by  all  members   of  the 
Cfiurch  of  England  were  promulgated  if 
What  are  the  thirty-nine  articles  ? 
Were  there  any  mar'yre  in  the  time  of  Edward  VI.  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  245 

and  this,  notwithstanding  the  entreaties  of  the  you  \g  king 
that  they  might  be  sparedto  live,  and  to  be  converted  from 
iheir  errors. 

Edward's  early  promise  was  very  great,  and  his  abilities 
were  of  a  high  order.  His  Latin  exercises  have  been  pre 
served,  and,  if  he  was  not  much  assisted  by  his  masters,  do 
him  great  credit.     His  chief  study  was  theology,  and  his 
greatest  delight  was  listening  to  sermons. 

It  will  be  interesting  to  know  what  became  of  all  the 
old  monasteries  and  nunneries  Some  were  leveled  with 
the  ground;  others,  stripped  of  their  timber  and  lead,  were 
left  in  ruin,  and  still  remain  objects  of  admiration  to  all 
who  delight  in  the  relics  of  antiquity.  Many  were  given 
or  sold  to  laymen,  who  converted  them  into  dwelling- 
houses,  and  others  were  turned  into  hospitals. 

Henry  bestowed  many  of  the  religious  houses  on  those 
who  attended  on  his  person.  One  of  his  attendants  was 
rewarded  with  some  abbey  lands  for  having  wheeled  his 
chair  farther  from  the  fire ;  and  a  lady,  whose  name  is  not 
handed  down  to  us,  had  a  monastic  house  given  to  her  for 
making  the  king  a  pudding  which  he  liked. 

In  this  reign  the  convenience  of  ladies'  dress  was  very 
much  assisted  by  the  invention  of  pins.  To  serve  the 
purposes  for  which  we  employ  that  article,  there  were 
previously  to  the  invention  of  pins, a  variety  of  contrivan- 
ces, buttons,  hooks  and  eyes,  laces  and  loops ;  and  ladies 
used  even  wooden  skewers  to  fasten  on  their  dress.  A 
needle  was  a  very  valuable  implement  at  this  time.  None 
were  mad3  in  England  till  the  next  reign,  when  a  Spanish 
negro  came  to  London,  and  made  some. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

MARY. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1553— 1558. j 

As  soon  as  Edward  had  breathed  his  last,  the  duke  ol 
Northumberland  went  t?  Sion-house,  where   lady  Jane 

What  were  the  favorite  pursuits  of  Edward  VI.  ? 

What  became  of  the  religious  houses  sequestered  by  Henry  VIIL  ? 

Were  the  useful  arts  improved  in  this  reign  ? 

Who  saluted  lady  Jane  Grey  as  queen  of  England? 


246  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

Grey  lived,  and  saluted  her  as  queen  :  but  she,  rai  froiti 
being  ambitious  of  this  dignity,  entreated  that  it  might  noi 
be  forced  upon  her,  and  pleaded  the  superior  claims  of 
the  two  princesses.  But  the  duke  had  gone  too  far  to  be 
stopped  by  the  scruples  of  a  young  creature  of  sixteen : 
and  lady  Jane,  who  was  naturally  of  a  timid  and  gentle 
disposition,  was  soon  persuaded  by  her  father-in-law,  and 
suffered  herself  to  be  proclaimed.  No  applause  followed 
the  proclamation,  and  no  one  seconded  this  bold  step  of 
Northumberland. 

Lady  Jane,  after  a  joyless  reign  of  ten  days,  thankfully 
returned  from  the  royal  apartments  in  the  Tower,  in  which 
she  had  been  placed,  to  the  privacy  of  her  own  house  :  and 
the  princess  Mary,  arriving  from  her  retreat  in  Suffolk,  was 
welcomed  by  the  people  with  the  loudest  acclamations. 
For  though  the  consequences  of  her  stern  bigotry  were 
dreaded  by  those  of  the  new  religion,  they  yet  dreaded 
still  more  the  unprincipled  character  of  Northumberland. 

When  the  duke  saw  his  project  entirely  overthrown,  he 
sought  to  save  his  own  life  by  the  meanest  supplications. 
He  fell  on  his  knees  before  lord  Arundel,  who  was  sent 
by  the  queen  to  apprehend  him  ;  and  while  in  that  posture, 
a  woman  rushed  up  to  him,  and  held  a  handkerchief  to 
his  face,  which  she  told  him  was  stained  with  the  blood  of 
his  innocent  victim  the  duke  of  Somerset.  Northumber- 
land was  condemned,  and  beheaded  on  Tower-hill.  His  son 
Guildford,  and  lady  Jane,  were  also  condemned  to  death  : 
but  on  account  of  their  youth  and  innocence,  their  sentence 
was  not  then  executed  ;  but  they  were  kept  in  prison. 

Mary  was  in  her  thirty-seventh  year  at  the  time  of  hei 
ttiother's  death.  Her  person  is  described  as  having  been 
very  ordinary,  and  her  manner  unengaging.  Her  educa- 
tion had  probably  been  much  neglected,  and  she  inherited 
her  mother's  gravity,  with  her  father's  violence  and  obsti- 
nate temper  She  was  old  enough  at  the  time  of  Catha- 
rine's divorce  to  feel  keenly  the  king's  injustice,  and  the 
being  forbidden  to  see  her  injured  mother,  was  a  grea* 
aggravation  of  her  wrongs.  She  and  Anne  Boleyn  nevei 
concealed  their  mutual  dfslike. 


When  was  queen  Mary  proclaimed  ? 
What  happened  to  Northumberland? 
What  was  the  character  of  queen  Mary  ? 


ENGL.SH  HISTORY.  247 

Mary  invariably  refused  to  give  her  sister  Elizabeth  the 
atle  of  princess  ;  and  her  obstinacy  in  this  and  other  par- 
ticulars, had  often  drawn  upon  her  her  father's  displeasure 
and  he  had  frequently  put  her  under  confinement.  These 
early  mortifications  increased  the  natural  sourness  of  her 
temper. 

The  first  act  of  Mary's  reign  showed  a  compassionate 
feeling,  which  raised  the  people's  hopes  of  her  character. 
She  restored  to  liberty  the  old  duke  of  Norfolk,  who  had 
languished  in  prison,  with  his  unexecuted  sentence  hanging 
over  his  head,  ever  since  the  death  of  Henry  VIII.  She 
released  also  Courtenay,  son  of  the  marquis  of  Exeter,  a 
young  nobleman  whose  youth  and  talents  had  been  *vasting 
in  a  prison  from  his  childhood,  but  who,  soon  after  he  was 
restored  to  the  world,  acquired  a  degree  of  grace  and  ac- 
complishment, that  made  him  an  ornament  to  the  court. 

The  queen's  next  act  was  to  release  Gardiner,  Bonner, 
and  Tonstall,who  had  been  deprived  of  liberty,  and  of  their 
bishoprics,  in  the  last  reign  ;  and  she  hastened,  with  their 
assistance,  to  overturn  the  Reformation,  and  to  restore  the 
old  religion,  and,  as  much  as  possible,  to  replace  every 
thing  on  its  former  footing.  She  was  greatly  anxious  for 
a  reconciliation  with  the  pope,  who,  at  first,  made  some 
difficulty  to  receive  within  the  pale  of  the  church  such  a 
country  of  heretics  as  England  was  now  become :  but  this? 
difficulty  was  at  length  overcome,  and  cardinal  de  la  Pole 
was  appointed  legate  in  England. 

But  Mary,  though  she  could  restore  the  mass,  the  pray- 
ing to  images,  and  all  the  other  ceremonials  of  the  Romish 
church,  found  it  impossible  to  recover  to  their  former  uses 
the  lands  and  buildings  of  the  religious  houses. 

The  foreign  protestants,  who  had  brought  many  useful 
arts  into  the  country,  now  hastily  left  it,  and  were  followed 
oymany  English  gentlemen,  who  were  glad  to  escape  from 
die  persecutions  which  they  foresaw  were  at  hand.     Cran- 


How  did  Mary  regard  her  sister,  and  what  soured  her  temper  ? 
Did  Mary  ever  exhibit  any  generosity  '( 
Did  Mary  restore  the  Catholic  religion  in  England  ? 
Could  Mary  recover  the  church  property  ? 

How  did  Craumer  ai»i  other  Protestants  demean  themselves  in  the  pres- 
ent juncture  ? 


V, 


248  ENGLISH  HISTOKV. 

mei  -was  advised  to  fly ;  but  lie  said  he  had  been  too  ranch 
concerned  in  every  measure  of  the  Reformation  to  desert 
its  cause.  The  queen  had  early  marked  him  for  destruc- 
tion. She  was  not  of  a  temper  to  forget  an  injury,  and 
hated  him  for  the  share  he  had  had  in  her  mother's  di- 
vorce ;  which  many  good  offices  he  had  done  for  herself 
could  never  atone  for  in  her  eyes. 

A  D  1^54  A  marriage  was  agreed  upon  between  the 
queen  and  Philip  of  Spain,  only  son  oi 
Charles  V.  The  match  was  exceedingly  disliked  by  the 
English ;  but  the  archduke  was  made  to  agree,  that  the 
administration  of  the  government  should  remain  entirely 
with  the  queen  and  her  ministers ;  and  that  no  foreignei 
should  be  permitted  to  hold  any  public  office. 

Still  so  great  was  the  alarm  excited,  that  a  formidable 
insurrection  arose  in  Kent,  which  was  headed  by  sir 
Thomas  Wyatt,  who  having  traveled  in  Spain,  brought 
home  such  an  account  of  Philip  as  added  to  the  previous 
horror  of  him  that  had  existed.  The  object  of  the  insur- 
rection was  to  dethrone  Mary,  and  to  place  lady  Jane  Grey 
on  the  throne  ;  and  if  her  father,  the  duke  of  Suffolk,  did 
not  actually  join,  he  at  least  showed  some  approbation  of  it. 

Wyatt,  at  the  head  of  4000  men,  entered  London ;  but 
many  of  his  followers,  perceiving  that  no  men  of  note 
joined  his  standard,  silently  left  him.  He  was  summoned 
to  surrender ;  and  having  done  so,  he  was  tried,  con- 
demned, and  executed  :  400  of  his  unfortunate  followers 
suffered  with  him;  and  400  more  were  conducted  to  the 
queen,  with  ropes  about  their  necks,  and  falling  on  theii 
knees,  received  their  pardon. 

Soon  afterwards,  lady  Jane  Grey,  whose  fate  it  was  al 
ways  to  suffer  for  the  faults  of  others,  was  warned  that  she 
must  prepare  for  death.  The  queen  sent  a  priest  of  the 
Romish  church  to  harass  her  last  moments,  by  attempting 
to  convert  her ;  but  her  constancy  was  not  to  be  shaken, 
and  she  employed  the  small  portion  of  time  that  wasWt  he* 


What  marriage  contract  was  made  for  c  ueen  Mary  in  1551  ? 

Who  header"  a  rebellion  at  this  time  ? 

What  became  of  sir  Thomas  Wyatt  ? 

What  sentence  was  passed  upon  lad/  Jane  Grey  i 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  219 

In  prayer,  and  in  writing,  in  Greek,  a  iarewell  letter  tohel 
sister,  in  which  she  exhorted  her  to  be  firm  in  her  faith. 

Lord  Guildford  Dudley  was  also  condemned  to  die,  and 
entreated  to  have  a  parting  interview  ;  but  Jane  refused  it 
lest  the  affliction  of  such  a  meeting  should  overcome  their 
fortitude.  She  appeared  on  the  scaffold  with  a  serene  coun- 
tenance, and  declared  that  she  had  greatly  erred  in  not 
having  more  firmly  refused  the  crown  ;  but  that  filial  rev- 
erence, and  not  her  own  ambition,  had  been  the  cause  of 
her  fault.  Her  father  was  beheaded  soon  after  ;  and  the 
queen  became  so  suspicious  of  almost  every  body,  that  she 
filled  the  prisons  with  nobles  and  gentlemen. 

A  T)  1  ^5  ^ke  time  now  arrived  that  had  been  fixed 
for  the  archduke's  coming  to  England  ; 
but  the  admiral  of  the  fleet  which  Mary  had  sent  to  escort 
him,  dared  not  take  him  on  board,  lest  the  sailors  should 
commit  some  violence  against  him.  Such  was  the  detes- 
tation in  which  he  was  held.  At  last  he  arrived :  the  mar- 
riage was  celebrated  at  Westminster  ;  and  Philip,  by  his 
distant  and  reserved  behavior,  increased  the  previous  dis- 
like of  the  English. 

From  this  time  the  chief  business  of  parliament  was  to 
guard  against  the  encroachments  of  Philip  ;  while  Mary's 
only  anxiety  was  to  increase  the  power  and  influence  of  a 
husband,  on  whom  she  doted  with  a  troublesome  fondness, 
though  he,  on  his  part,  could  with  difficulty  conceal  his 
own  dislike  to  his  unengaging  partner.  On  one  subject, 
however,  they  were  perfectly  agreed,  namely,  in  the  desire 
to  extirpate  heresy,  by  the  most  violent  and  sanguinary 
measures. 

Gafdiner  willingly  entered  into  the  views  of  Philip  and 
Mary ;  but  finding  this  work  of  cruelty  more  arduous  than 
he  had  expected,  he  made  it  over  to  Bonner,  a  man  of  such 
inhumanity  that  he  even  delighted  to  see  the  dying  agonies 
of  the  sufferers ;  and  would  often  take  on  himself  the  office 
of  executioner,  adding  to  the  misery  of  the  poor  creatures 
who  suffered,  by  a  mockery  and  levity,  which,  had  it  not 


VVhht  was  the  end  of  lady  Jane  and  her  husband  ? 
Was  Philip  of  Spain  liked  in  England  ? 
In  what  was  Philip  and  Mary  agreed  ? 

Was  the  extirpation  of  heresy,  as  the  bigots  of  this  reign  calico  pcrwou 
Cicn,  attended  with  manifestations  of  cruelty  ? 


250  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

been  asserted  by  writers  of  undoubted  credit,  one  would 
have  thought  impossible. 

In  the  course  of  the  next  three  years,  nearly  three  hun- 
dred persons  were  burned  alive,  martyrs  to  their  religion ; 
many  more  suffered  imprisonments,  fines,  and  lesser  pun- 
ishments. Two  venerable  and  pious  men,  Latimer  and 
Ridley,  were  amongst  the  first  who  perished ;  and  they 
died  exhorting  each  other  to  faith  and  courage.  They 
were  burnt,  in  the  year  1555,  in  the  public  street  at  Ox- 
ford, near  Baliol  College. 

Hooper,  bishop  of  Gloucester,  was  another  martyr. 
When  he  was  tied  to  the  stake,  and  the  faggots  heaped 
about  him,  the  queen's  pardon  was  placed  on  a  stool  before 
him,  and  if  he  would  have  recanted,  he  might  have  stretched 
out  his  hand  to  take  the  pardon  ;  but  he  rejected  it  on  such 
a  condition,  and  died  without  uttering  a  groan. 

If  these  scenes  fill  us  with  horror  at  the  wickedness  of 
Mary  and  her  ministers,  they  also  make  us  revere  the  con- 
stancy of  the  sufferers,  who,  sustained  by  faith  and  hope, 
could  thus  abide,  without  a  groan,  the  horrors  of  a  death 
of  extreme  torture.  Far  from  extirpating  the  Protestant 
religion,  these  barbarities  only  set  the  hearts  of  the  people 
the  more  resolutely  against  a  church  which  could  sanction 
such  cruelty.  The  English  law  in  regard  to  heretics,  was 
nevertheless  too  mild  to  satisfy  the  ferocity  of  Philip,  and 
he  made  an  attempt  to  introduce  the  inquisition  into  Eng 
land,  but  happily  without  success. 

At  the  time  when  these  executions  took  place,  Gardiner 
also  died.  He  was  succeeded  as  chancellor,  by  Heath, 
archbishop  of  York,  a  man  of  slender  abilities,  but  of  a  fu- 
rious zeal.  Gardiner's  death  hastened  that  of  Cranmer 
The  new  chancellor  made  no  opposition  to  the  queen's  wish 
that  he  should  be  put  to  death,  and  he  was  condemned  to 
be  burned  at  Oxford.  In  a  moment  of  weakness  the  arch- 
bishop, hoping  by  such  a  measure  to  preserve  his  life,  signed 
a  paper,  in  which  he  avowed  his  belief  in  the  pope's  supre- 
macy.   But  Mary  sent  him  word  this  should  not  save  him 


Who  were  burned  for  heresy  in  England  in  1555  ? 
What  fortitude  was  exhibited  by  Hooper,  bishop  of  Gloucester  I 
Did  the  cruelty  of  Miry  and  her  ministers  extirpate  the  reformed  reli- 
gion ? 

A  hat  became  of  Garmner,  and  of  Cranmer  / 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  251 

and  iliat  he  must  acknowledge  his  errors  in  the  church, 
before  the  whole  people. 

The  strength  of  Cranmer's  mind  now  leturned;  ana, 
when  he  was  brought  forth  to  the  church  to  make  his  pub- 
lic recantation,  instead  of  doing  so,  he  bitterly  bewailed  his 
momentary  weakness,  and  asserted  his  firm  belief  in  the 
Protestant  faiih.  He  was  immediately  led  forth  to  execu- 
tion ;  and,  when  the  faggots  were  set  on  fire,  he  stretched 
out  his  right  hand,  with  which  he  had  signed  the  paper, 
und  held  it  in  the  names  until  it  was  totally  consumed, 
without  betraying  any  symptom  of  pain,  saying  frequently, 
"  This  hand  has  offended;"  then,  as  if  his  mind  was  mor»> 
at  ease  for  having  made  this  atonemert,  his  countenance 
became  full  of  peaceful  serenity,  and  he  appeared  insensi- 
ble to  ail  worldly  suffering. 

The  next  day  the  cardinal  de  la  Pole  was  made  arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury  ;  and  he  showed  so  much  lenity  to- 
wards the  Protestants,  as  to  excite  the  displeasure  of  the 
pope. 

Philip,  who  had  soon  became  weary  of  England,  went, 
in  1555,  to  Flanders  ;  and  the  queen,  seeing  herself  treated 
by  him  with  iudinerence  and  neglect,  spent  her  time  in 
tears  and  lamentations,  and  in  writing  long  letters  to  him, 
which  he  never  answered,  and,  perhaps,  never  read.  The 
more  he  slighted  her,  the  more  she  doted  on  him  ;  and  to 
procure  money,  in  the  hope  of  winning  him  back  by  sup- 
plying him  with  it,  she  loaded  the  people  with  taxes. 

A   D  Ti^fi  e  einPeror  Charles  V.,  wearied  with 

the  toils  of  royalty,  which  his  intriguing 
and  ambitious  spirit  had  made  a  greater  burden  to  him  than 
to  the  generality  of  monarchs,  took  the  extraordinary  reso- 
lution of  retiring  from  the  bustle  of  the  world  to  the  retire- 
ment of  a  monastery,  and  resigned  all  his  dominions  to 
his  son. 

Philip,  who  had  his  father's  ambition,  but  not  his  talents, 
immediately  declared  war  against  France,  and  he  expected 
England  should  do  the  same;  but,  the  Spanish  yoke  beinp 


Was  the  constancy  of  Cranmer  shaken  at  the  prospect  of  death 

Who  succeeded  to  Cranmer  as  Archbishop  1 

When  did  Philip  of  Spain  leave  England  i 

When  did  Charles  V.  resign  his  dominions  to  his  son  ? 

Did  Philip  induce  the  English  to  declare  war  against  Prince  ? 


252  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

more  than  ever  disliked,  the  queen  could  not  preA-ail  with 
her  council  to  give  their  consent  to  infringe  the  peace. 

When  Philip,  however,  came  to  London,  and  protested 
that  he  would  never  again  set  foot  in  England,  unless  wai 
was  declared  with  France,  the  queen,  almost  frantic 
pressed  the  matter  so  urgently,  as  to  overcome  the  reluc- 
tance of  the  council.  War  was  declared.  Mary,  who  had 
already  exhausted  her  resources  in  furnishing  Philip  with 
money,  resorted  to  the  most  unjust  and  violent  measures 
to  extort  the  means  of  fitting  out  a  fleet  and  raising  an 
army. 

A  fleet  and  an  army  were  at  last  provided  ;  and  the  lat- 
ter, under  the  command  of  the  earl  of  Pembroke,  joined 
Philip's  army  in  Flanders,  in  time  to  take  a  part  in  the 
battle  of  St.  Quintin,  in  which  the  duke  of  Savoy,  the 
Spanish  general,  gained  a  victory  over  the  French  ;  but, 
while  Mary  was  triumphing  at  this  success,  the  French 
were  preparing  for  her  a  severe  mortification. 

Though  every  thing  else  in  France  had  long  been  1»  »st  to 
the  English,  they  still  preserved  Calais,  which  had  been 
guarded  as  the  chief  jewel  of  the  crown  by  every  English 
king  since  Edward  III.,  who  had  won  it.  It  was  so 
strongly  fortified,  and  had  always  been  so  well  garrisoned, 
that  the  French  had  never  even  attempted  to  recover  it. 

In  Mary's  feeble  reign,  the  monks  and  bigots  who  com 
posed  her  ministry,  thought  more  of  burning  heretics,  than 
of  any  other  concern  of  state.  They  had  neglected  to  keep 
the  fortifications  in  repair  ;  and,  to  save  the  charge  of  what 
they  supposed  an  unnecessary  garrison,  withdrew  the 
greater  part  of  it  during  the  winter  months.  The  gover- 
nor had  remonstrated  seriously,  but  in  vain,  against  this 
unwise  economy. 

The  duke  of  Guise,  general  of  the  French  army,  being 
well  informed  of  these  circumstances,  determined  to  at- 
tempt the  recovery  of  the  town.     It  was  surrounded  by 


Did  queen  Mary  overrule  her  council  in  the  question  cf  war  wit} 
France  l 

What  was  gained  at  the  battle  of  St.  Quintin  ? 

What  then  remained  to  the  English  in  France  ? 

Did  the  religious  policy  of  queen  Mary's  reign  preserve  the  foreign 
power  of  the  British  ? 

What  French  general  attempted  the  recovery  of  Calais  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  253 

marshes  which,  during  the  winter3  were  totally  impassa 
ble,  and  could  be  approached  on  the  land  side  only  by 
two  raised  roads,  defended  by  two  castles.  The  duke 
made  an  attack  on  these  castles,  and  soon  took  them, 
and,  in  the  meantime,  the  French  fleet  besieged  the  forti- 
fications of  the  town,  next  the  sea,  and  thus  lord  Went- 
worth,  the  governor,  saw  himself  enclosed  on  every  side. 

Though  Wentworth  had  only  a  few  hundred  men  with 
him,  he  made  a  brave  resistance  ;  but  the  town  being  un- 
provided with  every  thing  necessary  for  sustaining  a 
siege,  he  was  obliged  to  surrender  ;  and  thus  the  duke  oi 
Guise  made  himself  master,  in  eight  days,  of  a  fortress  that 
had  been  deemed  impregnable. 

The  news  of  this  event  struck  a  universal  dismay  all 
over  England  ;  and  the  queen  declared  that  when  she  died, 
the  word  Calais  would  be  found  engraved  upon  her  heart. 
Mary's  health  visibly  declined  from  this  time.  The  neglect 
of  Philip,  and  her  own  disappointment  at  having  no  chil- 
dren, a  blessing  she  vehemently  desired,  all  preyed  upon 
her  health.  She  dragged  on  a  few  miserable  months,  and 
died  Nov.  17,  1558,  in  the  43d  year  of  her  age,  and  the 
6th  of  her  reign. 

The  cardinal  de  la  Pole  died  on  the  same  day  with  the 
queen,  and  left  an  unsullied  name  behind  him. 


Arts  and  commerce  did  not  flourish  in  the  brief  and 
troubled  reign  of  the  bigoted  Mary.  The  czar  of  Muscovy 
first  sent  an  ambassador  to  England  in  this  reign.  Drink- 
ing-glasses  were  not  made  in  England  till  the  time  oi 
queen  Mary,  and  were  at  first  considered  more  precnus 
chan  silver.  Some  few  looking-glasses  were  used  at  the 
ioilet ;  but  they  were  probably  very  small,  and  were  com- 
monly either  carried  about  by  the  ladies  in  their  pockets, 
or  hung  to  their  girdles. 

A  French  priest  who  visited  England  in  the  middle  of 


Who  surrendered  Calais  to  the  French  ? 

Under  what  circumstances,  and  at  what  time  did  queen  Mary  die  ? 

Did  commerce,  &c.  flourish  in  Mary's  reign? 

How  did  a  Fi?nch  priest  describe  the  English  I 


254  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

the  sixteenth  century,  thus  describes  the  English  of  that 
age  : — "  The  people  of  this  country  have  a  mortal  hatred 
10  the  French  ;  and  in  common  call  us  France  knave,  01 
France  dog.  The  people  of  this  land  make  good  cheer, 
and  dearly  love  junketing.  The  men  are  large,  handsome, 
and  ruddy,  with  flaxen  hair.  Their  women  are  the  great- 
est beauties  in  the  world,  and  as  fair  as  alabaster.  The 
English  in  general  are  cheerful,  and  love  music. 

"  In  this  land  they  commonly  make  use  of  silver  vessels, 
when  they  drink  wine.  The  servants  wait  on  their  masters 
bare-headed,  andleave  their  caps  on  the  buffet  (sideboard.) 
fn  the  windows  of  the  houses  are  plenty  of  flowers,  and  at 
che  taverns  a  plenty  of  rushes  on  their  wooden  floors,  and 
many  cushions  of  tapestry  on  which  travelers  seat  them- 
selves. 

"  The  English  consume  a  great  quantity  of  beer  ;  the 
poor  people  drink  it  out  of  wooden  cups.  They  eat  much 
whiter  bread  than  is  commonly  made  in  France.  With 
their  beer  they  have  a  custom  of  eating  very  soft  saffron 
cakes,  in  which  there  are  likewise  raisins.  It  is  likewise 
to  be  noted  that  the  servants  carry  pointed  bucklers,  even 
those  of  bishops.  And  the  husbandmen,  when  they  till 
the  ground,  commonly  leave  their  bucklers,  swords,  or 
sometimes  their  bows,  in  the  corner  of  the  field." 

This  loquacious  traveler  visited  Scotland  also,  and  de- 
scribes it  as  a  barren  and  wild  country.  Some  of  the 
Scotch, he  says,  applied  themselves  to  letters,  and  became 
good  philosophers  and  authors,  but  the  people  in  general 
were  rude  and  churlish. 


How  did  the  same  priest  describe  domestic  arrangements  in  England? 
Whnt  were  the  habits  of  the  poorer  sort  of  people  f 
What  did  the  same  writer  say  of  the  Scotch  of  tnat  age  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  255 


CHAPTER    XXV11I 


ELIZABETH. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1558— 1G03.] 


"When  Mary's  death  was  announced  to  the  parliament, 
which  happened  to  be  assembled  at  the  time,  the  members 
all  sprang  from  their  seats ;  and  shouts  of  joy,  and  the 
words  "  God  save  Queen  Elizabeth!"  were  heard  to  re- 
sound on  every  side.  When  the  news  was  spread  abroad, 
the  transport  of  the  people  was  so  great,  that  they  hurried 
in  crowds  towards  Hatfield,  where  Elizabeth  was  then  re- 
siding, and  escorted  her  into  London.  Elizabeth  was  then 
twenty-five  years  old. 

The  new  queen,  from  her  first  coming  to  the  throne, 
seemed  anxious  to  show  an  entire  forgetfulness  of  all  her 
former  sufferings,  and  never  testified  any  resentment  to- 
wards those  who  had  been  instrumental  to  them.  Even 
Bir  Henry  Benefield,  in  whose  custody  she  had  been  for  a 
time,  and  whom  she  had  found  a  seveie  gaoler,  experi- 
enced from  her  no  other  punishment  or  rebuke,  but  that  of 

What  demonstrations  of  joy  distinguished  the  accession  of  queen  Eliz- 
abeth? 

Did  Klizal  eth  manifest  a  generous  disposition  to  those  who  had  injured 
uort 


256  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

her  telling  him  that  he  should  have  the  custody  of  any  state 
prisoner  whom  she  wished  to  be  treated  with  peculiar  se- 
verity. The  cruel  Bonner  was  the  only  one  of  her  sis- 
ter's ministers  to  whom  she  showed  a  marked  dislike. 
She  turned  from  him  with  horror,  and  would  never  speak 
to  him  nor  look  at  him. 

The  first  great  anxiety  of  all  the  Protestant  part  of  the 
nation  was  to  have  a  settlement  of  the  affairs  of  the  church. 
In  this  important  business  Elizabeth  proceeded  with  great 
prudence  and  caution,  and  yet  with  so  much  determination 
and  steadiness,  that  she  soon  replaced  every  thing  in  the 
state  it  had  been  at  her  brother's  death;  and  all  without 
one  drop  of  blood  being  spilt,  or  a  single  estate  confiscated 
Bonner  alone,  for  refusingto  acknowledge  her  supremacy 
was  punished  by  being  imprisoned  for  life. 

Philip,  as  soon  as  he  heard  of  queen  Mary's  death, pro 
posed  himself  to  her  sister  in  marriage.  Elizabeth  nevei 
for  a  moment  thought  of  consenting  to  such  a  union ;  but, 
perhaps,  for  fear  of  making  him  her  enemy,  or  perhaps, 
from  her  accustomed  caution,  she  delayed  to  give  a  deci- 
sive answer  as  long  as  she  could  ;  and  when  she  sent  hei 
refusal,  she  took  the  opportunity  of  declaring  to  the  par- 
liament a  determination  to  lead  a  single  life. 

Notwithstanding  this  declaration,  Elizabeth  some  years 
afterwards  admitted  the  addresses  of  the  duke  of  Anjou, 
the  brother  of  the  king  of  France.  But  partly  through  hex 
fear  of  lessening  her  own  authority,  if  she  admitted  anothei 
to  share  it,  and  partly,  perhaps,  from  love  to  her  people, 
which  made  her  unwilling  to  give  them  a  foreign  king, 
she  broke  off  the  match,  after  keeping  the  duke  long  in 
suspense. 

The  pretensions  of  Mary,  the  young  queen  of  Scotland 
were  an  early  source  of  disquiet  to  Elizabeth.  Mary  was 
great  niece  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  on  the  plea  that  Elizabeth 
had  been  declared  illegitimate,  she  asserted  her  own  right 
to  the  crown,  and  took  upon  her  the  arms  and  title  of  queen 
of  England.  And  though  this  empty  boast  was  not  f<  >1« 
lowed  by  any  active  attempt,  it  yet  laid  the  foundation  ii 
Elizabeth's  mind  of  a  deadly  hatred  towards  her. 

How  did  Elizabeth  settle  the  affairs  if  the  Church  ? 

Who  made  Elizabeth  an  offer  of  marriage  ? 

What  French  nobleman  made  proposals  of  marriage  to  Elizabeth  f 

Who.  and  on  what  pretence,  claimed  to  be  queen  of  England  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  257 

Mary  had  been  married  to  the  dauphin,  who,  on  his  fa- 
her's  death,  became  king  of  France,  by  the  title  of  Francis 
II. ;  and  she  had  thus  been,  for  a  brief  season,  the  queen 
of  the  most  splendid  court  in  Europe,  into  all  the  dissipa- 
tions of  which  she  entered  eagerly.  When,  on  the  early 
death  of  Francis,  she  was  obliged  to  return  to  Scotland 
the  contrast  between  the  country  she  left,  and  that  which 
she  was  now  come  to  inhabit,  struck  her  with  melancholy; 
and  the  rude  manners  of  the  Scots  filled  her  with  disgust 

This  disgust  was  increased  by  difference  of  religion 
Mary  had  been  brought  up  a  bigoted  Catholic  ;  and  the 
Reformation,  which  had  now  made  great  progress  in  Scot- 
land, was  not  marked  there  with  a  mild  and  conciliatory 
spirit.  The  Scotch  reformers  were  men  of  rigid  zeal,  and 
condemned  all  gaiety  and  amusements  as  sinful.  They 
were  as  much  shocked  at  the  queen's  levities,  as  she  was 
displeased  by  their  austerity. 

While  these  discontents  were  growing  in  Scotland,  the 
queen  of  England  was  busily  employed  in  putting  the  af- 
fairs of  her  kingdom  in  order.  She  called  in  the  old  coin, 
which  had  been  shamefully  debased  in  the  last  three 
reigns,  and  replaced  it  by  a  coinage  of  the  standard  weight. 
She  filled  her  arsenals  with  arms ;  she  introduced  the 
manufacturing  of  gunpowder  into  England  ;  she  frequently 
reviewed  her  militia,  and  put  the  country  into  a  complete 
state  of  defence  ;  she  encouraged  agriculture,  trade,  and 
navigation,  and  increased  her  navy  so  much  that  she  has 
been  called  "  the  queen  of  the  northern  seas." 

Elizabeth's  wise  government  was  respected  abroad  and 
prosperous  at  home.  She  was  exceedingly  fortunate  in  the 
choice  of  her  ministers  ;  particularly  in  her  treasurer,  lord 
Burleigh,  and  her  secretary  Walsingl^  am,  who  were  men 
of  extraordinary  abilities  and  integrity.  While  affairs  were 
managed  with  so  much  vigor  and  success,  the  people  were 
scarcely  aware  in  how  great  a  degree  their  queen  kepi 
gradually  enlarging  her  prerogative,  nor  how  much  thcii 
o  ;vn  liberties  were  infringed. 


Hdw  did  Mary  of  Scotland  regard  her  own  subjects  ? 
What  was  the  state  of  religion  in  Scotland,  A.  D  1559 
What  were  the  first  measures  of  queen  Elizabeth's  reign  i 
Who  weie  Elizabeth's  ministers  1 
12 


258  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

In  all  cases  in  which  her  own  authority  was  concerned, 
Elizabeth  was  always  decided  and  peremptory:  and  as  she 
had  generally  good  reason  for  what  she  did,  and,  above 
all,  was  frugal  of  expense,  the  mass  of  the  people,  though 
kept  in  great  subjection,  regarded  her  with  enthusiastic 
attachment. 

In  regard  to  her  private  friendships  Elizabeth  exhibited 
less  wisdom  than  in  political  affairs.  Her  chief  favorite 
was  Robert  Dudley,  earl  of  Leicester,  a  man  wholly  unde- 
serving of  moral  respect.  He  was  the  son  of  that  unprin- 
cipled duke  of  Northumberland  who  was  beheaded  in  th  j 
reign  of  Mary. 

The  great  rival  of  Leicester  in  Elizabeth's  favor  was 
RatclifTe,  earl  of  Sussex,  a  plain  rough  soldier,  who  loved 
and  honored  his  mistress  in  sincerity,  while  Leicester  only 
used  her  favor  as  the  ladder  to  his  own  ambition.  The 
queen  valued  Sussex,  and  employed  him  in  many  affairs 
of  importance  :  but  the  assiduities  of  Leicester  were  more 
pleasing  to  her  vanity,  and  she  was  fond  of  keeping  him 
about  her  court.  He  continued  to  retain  his  place  in  her 
favor  till  his  death,  in  1588. 

Early  in  the  year  1563  Elizabeth  caught  the  small-pox, 
and  for  some  days  her  life  was  considered  to  be  in  danger. 
The  prospect  of  her  death,  joined  to  the  probability  of  the 
queen  of  Scotland's  succession,  encouraged  the  popish 
party ;  and  when  she  recovered,  the  parliament  besought 
her  either  to  change  her  resolution,  of  living  unmarried, 
or  else  to  name  her  successor.  Both  these  requests  were 
very  displeasing  to  Elizabeth. 

Elizabeth  was  afterwards  beset  with  princely  suitors  ; 
but  she  always  avoided  as  long  as  possible  the  giving  them 
a  decisive  answer,  and  kept  all  persons,  both  friends  and 
enemies,  who  were  anxiously  watching  her  conduct,  in 
entire  suspense  as  to  her  real  intentions. 


How  did  the  English  nation  regard  then  queen  ? 
Who  was  the  favorite  of  Elizabeth  ? 
Did  the  English  desire  their  queen  to  marry  ? 

Did  queen  Elizabeth  act  openij    and  sincerely   as  to  her  purport  of 
■narriage  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTOkr.  259 

Mary  of  Scotland,  in  the  hope  of  being  named  by  Eliz- 
betb.  as  her  successor,  affected  to  treat  her  with  great  re- 
spect. Both  queens  indeed  pretended  extraordinaiy  regard 
for  one  another,  and  styled  themselves  in  their  letters"  lov- 
ing sisters."  Mary  having  been  urged  by  her  council  to 
a  second  marriage,  thought  proper  to  apply  to  Elizabeth 
to  choose  a  suitable  match  for  her.  Elizabeth's  wish  was 
that  her  "  loving  sister"  should  continue  a  widow. 

It  was  one  of  the  weaknesses  of  this  great  queen  to 
have  the  utmost  dislike  of  any  person's  marrying,  and  she 
persecuted  many  of  her  own  subjects  for  no  other  reason 
than  because  they  did  not  choose  to  live  single  like  herself. 
At  length,  having  proposed  two  or  three  matches  for 
Mary,  which  she  knew  she  would  not  accept,  Elizabeth 
pretended  to  be  exceedingly  displeased  with  her,  when 
she  at  last  chose  for  herself,  and  married  her  cousin  Hen- 
ry Stuart,  Lord  Darnley. 

Darnley  was  the  son  of  Margaret  Douglas,  daughter  of 
Margaret,  sister  of  Henry  VIII.,  by  her  second  husband 
lord  Angus.  Thus,  after  Mary,  he  was  the  next  in  succes- 
sion to  the  crown  of  England.  But  this  union,  which  ap- 
ueared  so  suitable,  proved  most  unfortunate  in  the  end. 

Darnley  was  a  man  of  inferior  capacity,  and  soon  be- 
came the  object  of  Mary's  dislike  and  contempt ;  and  she 
on  her  part  gave  him  just  cause  for  displeasure  by  making 
a  favorite  and  a  confidant  of  an  Italian  musician  of  the 
name  of  David  Rizzio. 

One  evening,  when  the  queen  was  at  supper  with  Riz- 
zio and  some  of  the  ladies  of  her  court,  Darnley,  with  a 
band  of  armed  men,  rushed  into  the  room,  and  one  of  them 
stabbed  Rizzio,  as  he  clung  to  the  queen's  knees  for  pro- 
tection. As  one  crime  usually  gives  occasion  for  another, 
so  Mary,  by  this  barbarous  murder,  was  provoked  into  the 
commission,  if  possible,  of  a  greater  crime.  She  admitted 
the  earl  of  Bothwell,  a  man  of  infamous  character,  into  her 


With  what  mutuaj  hypocrisy  d'.d  the  queens  of  England  and  ScotlatuJ 
treat  each  other '( 

Why  did  Elizabeth  affect  to  be  displeased  with  Mary  of  Scotland  7 

Who  was  Lord  Darnley  ? 

By  what  foolish  conduct  did  Mary  displease  her  husband? 

Of  what  outrage  was  Darnley  guilty,  and  what  became  of  him  f 


260  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

councils,  and  in  concert  with  him  contrived  and  tflecteJ 
the  death  of  Darnley. 

With  Bothwell's  consent  to  the  scheme,  the  queen  per- 
suaded Darnley,  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  to  sleep  in  a 
lone  house  near  Edinburgh,  called  the  Kirk  of  the  field 
This  house,  at  a  time  when  the  queen  was  absent,  attend- 
ing the  wedding  of  one  of  her  women,  was  blown  up  by 
gun-powder;  and  the  unfortunate  Henry  Darnley  perished, 
leaving  a  son  by  the  queen  seven  months  old. 

Soon  after  the  death  of  Darnley,  Bothwell  contrived  to 
carry  off  the  queen  (probably  by  her  own  consent,)  and 
detained  her  for  some  little  time  in  a  sort  of  imprisonment, 
To  the  astonishment  of  all  persons,  she  was  so  far  from  re- 
senting this  outrage,  that  though  Bothwell  was  universally 
believed  to  have  been  Darnley's  murderer,  she  did  not  scru- 
ple to  marry  him.  This  marriage  increased  the  suspicions 
that  she  also  was  concerned  in  that  atrocious  deed. 

A  T)  1  ^fi7  Nearly  the  whole  country,  in  just  ab- 
horrence of  this  crime,  headed  by  the 
lords  Morton  and  Murray,  rose  in  arms  against  her ;  and 
Mary,  finding  that  even  her  own  troops  were  unwilling  to 
fight  in  her  cause,  gave  herself  up  into  the  hands  of  her 
enemies,  who  imprisoned  her  in  Lochleven  castle,  and 
compelled  her  to  sign  a  resignation  of  her  kingdom  to  her 
son. 

This  infant  was  accordingly  crowned  king  by  the  title 
of  James  VI. ;  and  Murray,  who  was  half-brother  to  the 
queen,  though  not  a  legitimate  heir  of  the  crown  of  Scot- 
land, was  appointed  regent  to  the  kingdom.  Bothwell 
meantime  had  fled  the  country;  and,  after  leading  a  wan- 
dering and  wretched  life,  supporting  himself  by  piracy 
he  was  at  last  thrown  into  a  prison  in  Denmark.  He  fell 
into  a  state  of  insanity,  and  lingered  ten  miserable  years  in 
that  condition. 

Mary,  after  a  short  time,  found  means  to  escape  from 
prison  ;  and,  raising  an  army,  she  encountered  Murray  at 


Where  did  Darnley  perish  ? 

Whom  did  Mary  of  Scotland  take  for  a  second  husband  ? 
What  circumstances  compelled  Mary  to  resign  her  kingdom  ? 
Who  was  crowned  king  of  Scotland,  and  what  became  of  Bothwell  ? 
Did  Mary  attempt  to  recover  *.he  ttame  of  Scotland,  and  with  whnl 
effect  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  261 

Langside  ;  but  her  troops  were  completely  defeated  ;  and 
she  having  watched  the  battle  from  a  neighboring  emi- 
nence, put  spurs  to  her  horse,  and  never  stopped  till  she 
got  to  the  bank  of  a  little  river  on  the  boundary  between 
Scotland  and  England. 

There  the  bishop  of  St.  Andrews,  who  had  accompanied 
her  flight,  caught  hold  of  the  bridle  of  her  horse,  and  on 
his  knees  besought  her  to  turn  back  :  but  she,  preferring 
to  trust  Elizabeth's  generosity,  rather  than  again  to  en- 
counter the  insults  of  her  own  subjects,  rushed  tm-oughthe 
stream  to  the  opposite  side.  She  soon  arrived  at  Working- 
ton in  Cumberland,  from  whence  she  sent  a  messenger  to 
inform  Elizabeth  of  the  step  she  had  taken,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Carlisle  to  await  the  answer. 

Elizabeth,  on  receiving  the  news  of  this  extraordinary 
event,  was  in  the  greatest  perplexity  how  to  act.  Her 
whole  conduct  to  Mary  was  so  capricious  and  unreasonable 
in  the  beginning,  and  so  tyrannical  and  cruel  in  the  end. 
that  historians  have  found  it  difficult  to  account  for  it. 
Whatever  her  thoughts  were  on  receiving  Mary's  letter, 
she  concealed  them  with  great  dissimulation,  and  pretended 
the  utmost  friendship  for  that  unhappy  queen. 

Elizabeth's  conduct  to  Mary  exhibited  none  of  her 
avowed  friendship.  She  declared,  that  before  Mary  could 
be  received  at  the  English  court,  it  was  necessary,  both  for 
her  honor,  that  she  should  be  cleared  from  the  heavy  char- 
ges which  had  been  brought  against  her  by  the  Scots.  She 
returned  an  answer  to  this  effect  to  the  queen  of  Scots,  and 
sent  lady  Scrope  under  pretence  of  attending  on  her,  but 
in  reality  to  detain  her  in  a  sort  of  imprisonment :  and  she 
had  he/  soon  removed  from  Carlisle  to  Bolton-hall  in 
Yorkshire. 

Mary  consented  to  an  investigation  of  her  conduct,  and 
despatched  the  bishop  of  Ross,  and  eight  other  persons,  to 
meet  at  York  the  commissioners  sent  by  Elizabeth.  The 
regent  Murray  also  attended  there ;  and  after  a  tedious  suc- 
cessoin  of  letters  and  protestations,  in  which  both  parties 


Did  Mary  go  to  England  ? 

How  did  Elizabeth  treatMary? 

Why  did  Elizabeth  refuse  to  receive  Mary  at  couif  ' 

Was  Mary  brought  to  a  legal  trial  ? 


2G2 


ENGLISH   HISTORY. 


acted  with  great  duplicity,  and  seemed   equally   afraid  of 
arriving  at  truth,  nothing  was  proved. 

When  the  conferences,  which  Jasted  some  months,  were 
over,  Elizabeth  persisted  that  as  Mary  was  by  no  means 
cleared  by  the  investigation  which  had  taken  place,  she 
was  herself  justified  not  only  in  refusing  to  see  her,  but 
even  in  detaining  her  still  a  prisoner  :  and  she  now  placed 
her  in  the  custody  of  the  earl  of  Shrewsbury,  a  nobleman 
who  had  large  possessions  in  the  North  of  England. 
Shrewsbury  had  the  care  of  her  for  sixteen  years  at  one 
or  other  of  his  country  houses. 

At  first  the  unfortunate  queen  was  allowed  to  receive 
visiters,  and  her  eloquence  and  insinuating  manners  made 
every  one  who  conversed  with  her  believe  her  to  be  inno 
cent,  however  they  might  have  been  prepossessed  of  her 
guilt.  The  Papists  all  took  her  part,  and  thought  that  the 
jealousy  of  Elizabeth  towards  her  was  more  on  account  oi 
her  religion  than  from  any  other  cause. 

The  duke  of  Norfolk  was  one  of  those  who  were  most 
devoted  to  her ;  and  he  offered  to  contrive  her  escape, 
and  to  place  her  on  the  English  throne,  on  condition  that 
she  would  consent  to  marry  him.  Mary,  glad  to  catch  at 
any  hope  of  escape,  promised  to  do  so,  if  she  could  ob- 
tain a  divorce  from  Bothwell. 

In  this  plot  most  of  the  English  Papists  joined.  It  was 
soon  discovered,  and  gave  Elizabeth  a  pretext  for  holding 
Mary  with  a  harder  grasp,  and  for  preventing  her  from 
having  any  future  intercourse  with  all  persons  but  those  of 
lord  Shrewsbury's  household.  The  duke  of  Norfolk  was 
committed  to  the  Tower,  and  was  afterwards  liberated  on 
hJ3  promise  to  give  up  all  correspondence  with  Mary  ;  but 
he  broke  his  promise,  and  again  sent  letters  to  her,  though 
so  secretly  that  even  the  vigilant  Cecil  did  not  for  some 
time  find  it  out. 

A    T)   1*571     ^  *ast'  Mai7  wishing  to  send  some  money 

to  her  partizans  in  Scotland,  Bannister,  a 

confidential  servant  of  the  duke,  was  the  person  fixed  on 


Under  whose  custody  was  Mary  imprisoned? 

Who  befriended  Mary  ? 

What  conspiracy  was  planned  for  Mary's  deliverance  ? 

Did  the  duke  of  Norfolk  act  honestly  in  regard  to  Mary 

How  was  Norfolk's  treachery  discovered  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  263 

to  take  it.  This  money,  and  a  letter  which  was  to  accom« 
pany  it,  were  sent  to  Bannister  by  a  person  not  in  the 
secret ;  and  he,  perceiving  there  was  some  mystery,  took 
the  letter  to  lord.  Burleigh,  who  thus  discovered  that  the 
duke  of  Norfolk  and  the  Scottish  queen  were  again  con- 
spiring to  dethrone  Elizabeth. 

Norfolk  was  brought  to  trial,  and  believing  that  some 
papers  had  been  destroyed  which  he  had  ordered  his  sec- 
retary to  burn,  boldly  denied  the  being  concerned  in  the 
plot:  but  these  papers,  instead  of  being  destroyed,  had 
been  hid  by  the  secretary  under  the  mats  of  the  duke's 
chamber,  and  under  the  tiles  of  the  house,  and  were 
produced  on  the  trial,  and  so  fully  confirmed  his  guilt, 
that  he  was  condemned  to  die.  Elizabeth  always  declared 
that  she  would  have  forgiven  him,  if,  instead  of  persisting 
in  falsehood,  he  had  made  a  free  confession.  He  was  be- 
headed in  1572. 

The  queen  was  strongly  importuned  by  the  parliament 
to  put  her  rival  also  to  death ;  but  though  she  saw  that  so 
long  as  Mary  remained  a  prisoner  in  England  she  herself 
should  never  be  secure  from  plots  and  conspiracies,  yet 
she  could  not  at  once  bring  herself  to  consent  to  so  violent 
and  unprecedented  an  act.  She  would  gladly  have  sent 
her  out  of  the  kingdom,  and  probably  heartily  repented  of 
her  own  policy,  in  detaining  her  a  prisoner. 

Elizabeth  had  gone  too  far  to  recede  :  and  since  she 
could  not  with  safety  to  herself  now  restore  the  queen  of 
Scots  to  liberty,  she  determined  to  keep  her  even  more 
strictly  guarded  than  before  ;  and  removed  her  from  the 
care  of  lord  Shrewsbury,  who,  she  apprehended,  was  too 
indulgent  to  his  prisoner,  to  that  of  sir  Amais  Paulet  and 
sir  Drue  Drury. 

Philip  of  Spain,  and  the  queen  dowager  of  France,  Ca- 
tharine de  Medici,  had  for  many  years  past  been  forming 
schemes  for  restoring  the  Romish  religion  in  England,  by 
dispossessing  Elizabeth,  and  raising  Mary  to  the  throne. 
Mary  herself  was  in  all  their  secrets  ;  and  as  she  received 
o  jointure  from  France,  on  account  of  her  being  widow  oi 

How  did  Norfolk  conduct  himself  on  his  trial  ? 

Why  did  Elizabeth  refuse  to  put  Mary  to  death  ? 

On  what  account  did  Elizabeth  put  a  more  strict  guard  upon  Mnry  ? 

Who  conspired  to  dethrone  queen  Elizabeth  ? 


204  £x\ULISH  HISTORY. 

a  French  king,  she  had  means  of  getting  from  thenec  pri- 
vate intelligence,  and  had  money  at  her  command  to  dis- 
tribute amongst  her  partizans  in  England  and  Scotland. 

Elizabeth,  meanwhile,  was  well  informed  of  all  that  was 
going  on  :  out  she  felt  such  entire  confidence  in  the  affec 
tion  of  her  people,  that  she  did  not  express  any  fears  at  the 
machinations  of  her  enemies,  till  the  discovery  of  a  scheme 
to  assassinate  her  privately  gave  her  some  alarm.  This 
plot,  which  was  contrived  by  a  Catholic  priest,  one  John 
Ballard,  when  ripe  for  execution,  was  communicated  to 
many  Catholic  gentlemen,  who  readily  joined  in  it,  though 
not  so  secretly  but  that  Walsingham  had  information  of 
the  whole. 

When  Walsingham  had  obtained  all  the  information  he 
wanted,  he  thought  it  was  time  to  secure  the  conspirators ; 
and  fourteen  of  them  were  taken  up,  condemned,  and  exe- 
cuted, before  Mary  had  any  knowledge'  that  the  plot  wad 
detected. 

One  day,  as  Mary  was  taking  the  air  on  horseback,  she 
was  met  by  a  messenger  from  the  queen,  who  informed  her 
of  the  detection  and  death  of  her  friends,  and  that  she  was 
to  be  removed  immediately  to  Fotheringay  castle  in  North- 
amptonshire. She  was  accordingly  compelled  to  set  out 
for  that  place  instantly,  with  the  messenger  who  brought 
these  unwelcome  tidings,  without  being  suffered  to  return 
to  make  any  preparations  for  the  sudden  journey. 

In  a  few  days,  Mary's  arrival  at  Fotheringay  was  follow 
ed  by  that  of  commissioners  from  Elizabeth,  who  were  ap- 
pointed to  try  her  for  the  part  she  had  taken  in  the  late 
conspiracy,  of  which  it  was  believed  she  approved,  and  in 
which  she  connived.  The  proofs  against  her  were  but  too 
strong.  The  commissioners  returned  to  London  after  the 
trial,  and  pronounced  sentence  against  her  in  the  Star 
chamber,  Oct.  25,  1586. 

Elizabeth  affected  the  utmost  reluctance  to  consent  to 
Mary's  death ;  and  sir  Robert  Cary,  in  his  account  of  tho 


What  served  to  tranquilize  the  queen's  mind,  and  what  plot  against  hei 
life  was  contrived  ? 
What  happened  to  the  conspirators  ? 
How  was  Mary  removed  to  Fotheringay  Castle  ? 
On  account  of  what  charge  did  Mary  receive  sentence  of  death  f 
Did  Elizabeth  readily  consent  to  the  death  of  Mary  J 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  205 

i>cene«  to  which  he  was  an  eye-witness,  certainly  thought 
that  her  sighs  and  tears  on  this  occasion  were  sincere. 

When  Mary's  condemnation  was  known  in  Scotland, 
the  young  king  sent  an  urgent  remonstrance  to  Elizabeth 
on  the  unjustifiable  conduct  she  was  pursuing  towards  his 
mother  ;  but  one  of  James's  ambassadors  secretly  advised 
Elizabeth  not  to  spare  Mary,  and  undertook  to  pacify  his 
master. 

At  length,  after  some  months  of  apparent  indecision  on 
the  part  of  the  queen,  who  kept  her  ministers  uncertain  as 
to  her  intentions,  she  signed  the  death  warrant.  But  when 
she  found  it  had  been  despatched  to  Fotheringay,  she  ex- 
pressed the  most  violent  displeasure  at  the  hasty  ofhcious- 
ness  of  her  servants,  in  hopesby  suchan  artifice  to  trans- 
fer to  them  the  blame  of  Mary's  death. 

A  D  if)«7  ^n  ^e  sixtn  °f  February,  the  warrant  was 
brought  to  Fotheringay  by  the  earls  of 
Shrewsbury  and  Kent,  who  informed  Mary  that  she  must 
prepare  for  death  the  next  morning.  Mary  received  their 
message  with  composure,  and  employed  herself  during  the 
remainder  of  the  day  in  writing  letters,  in  dividing  the 
few  valuables  she  had  amongst  her  servants,  andin  taking 
leave  of  them.  She  rehired  to  rest  at  her  usual  time,  but 
arose  after  a  few  hours  s^eep.  and  spent  the  rest  of  the 
night  in  prayer. 

Towards  morning  she  attired  herself  in  the  only  rich 
dress  she  still  possessed.  A  white  lawn  veil  was  thrown 
over  her  head  *  and  when  whe  was  summoned  to  the  hall 
where  she  was  to  die,  she  took  a  crucifix  and  a  prayer- 
book  in  her  hand,  and  leaning  on  sir  Amias  Paulet,  she 
walked  with  a  serene  and  composed  countenance.  She 
was  met  by  the  way  by  her  faithful  servant,  Andrew  Mel- 
vil,  who  flung  himself  on  his  knees  before  her,  and  burst 
into  an  agony  of  grief- 
Mary  endeavored  to  console  him  with  the  utmost  firm- 
less  ;  but  on  charging  him  with  her  last  message  to  fad 


Did  the  king  of  Scotland  interfere  in  his  mother's  behalf? 

What  paper  did  Elizabeth  sign,  and  what  is  a  death  war-nut  ? 

How  did  Mary  receive  sentence  of  c'ealh? 

How  did  Mary  prepare  lor  execution? 

What  firmness  did  the  last  moments  of  Mary  ezhibit  ? 


266  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

son,  she  melted  into  tears.  She  then  enter  ea  the  hall  in 
which  the  scaffold  had  been  raised,  and  saw,  with  an  un- 
dismayed countenance,  the  two  executioners,  standing 
there,  and  all  the  preparations  for  her  death.  The  place 
was  crowded  with  spectators  who  seemed  to  forget  hei 
former  faults,  in  compassion  for  her  present  calamitous 
condition. 

After  some  time  spent  in  prayer,  she  began,  with  the 
aid  of  her  women,  to  unrobe  herself ;  and  seeing  them 
ieady  to  break  forth  into  tears  and  lamentations,  she  made 
them,  by  putting  her  finger  to  her  lips,  a  sign  to  forbear 
She  then  gave  them  her  blessing :  a  handkerchief  was 
bound  round  her  eyes,  and  without  any  visible  trepidation 
she  laid  her  head  upon  the  block,  and  with  two  strokes 
it  was  severed  from  her  body.  Thus  perished  this  unfor- 
tunate princess,  in  the  45th  year  of  her  age. 

Mary  had  been  a  queen  almost  from  her  birth.  From 
the  age  of  six  to  that  of  nineteen  she  had  been  trained  to 
levity  and  dissipation  in  the  French  court.  From  her 
nineteenth  to  her  twenty-seventh  year  she  had  lived  in 
Scotland,  in  a  succession  of  crimes,  follies,  and  sorrows. 
The  nineteen  remaining  years  of  her  life  she  had  passed 
in  a  melancholy  captivity,  a  prey  to  all  the  miseries  ol 
restraint,  suspense  and  impatience.  But  time  and  afflic- 
tion had  neither  subdued  her  spirit,  nor  wholly  destroyed 
her  extraordinary  beauty. 

In  a  letter  written  to  Lord  Burleigh,  by  a  person  who 
was  present  at  the  execution  of  this  unhappy  lady  it  was 
said,  that  when  the  executioner  held  up  Mary's  head,  after 
it  was  cut  off,  her  "  borrowed  auburn  locks"  fell  off,  and 
the  same  face  that  had  appeared  but  a  few  minutes  before 
.so  beautiful  in  life,  now  was  seen  so  much  altered  m 
death,  that  the  spectators  could  scarcely  believe  it  to  be  the 
same  :  the  hair  was  quite  gray,  and  the  face  appeared  to 
be  that  of  a  woman  of  seventy.  After  her  death  it  was 
found,  by  one  of  the  executioners,  that  the  queen's  favorite 
little  dog  had  concealed  itself  amongst  the  folds  of  hei 
dress,  and  the  poor  little  animal  could  with  difficulty  be 
removed  from  his  dead  mistress. 

How  did  Mary  comport  herself  at  the  »ime  of  her  execution  ? 
What  were  the  leading  circumstances  of  Mary's  life  i 
What  was  Mary  s  appearance  after  death? 


SNGLISII    HISTORY  207 


AJinc  lady  of  the  age  of  Elizabeth. 

When  the  news  of  the  execution  of  the  queen  of  Scots 
v*  as  brought  to  Elizabeth,  she  thought  it  necessary  to  as- 
sume the  appearance  of  excessive  grief;  she  wore  mourn- 
ing, and  for  some  days  shut  herself  up  with  only  her  wo- 
men. The  king  of  Scotland  expressed  great  resentment 
at  the  murder  of  his  mother,  and  threatened  Elizabeth 
with  a  war :  but  it  was  so  much  the  interest  of  both  sov- 
ereigns to  keep  at  peace,  that  James,  who  was  not  of  a 
warlike  disposition,  suffered  his  indignation  to  subside. 

A  T)  l  ^89  Philip  of  Spain  had  long  been  meditating 
an  invasion  of  England;  and,  having  com- 
pleted his  preparations,  and  collected  his  forces,  he  felt  so 
certain  of  conquest,  that  he  called  his  fleet  which  was  now- 
assembled  in  the  Tagus,  the  Invincible  Armada.  His  land 
forces,  to  the  number  of  fifty  thousand  men,  under  the  duke 
of  Parma,  were  marched  to  the  coast  of  the  Netherlands, 
where  a  sufficient  number  of  transports  were  prepared. 

This  whole  armament,  by  land  and  sea,  was  so  very  pow 
erful,  both  in  the  size  and  number  of  ships,  in  the  strength 
and  discipline  of  the  Spanish  soldiery,  and  the  gallantry 
pjid  spirit  of  the  numerous  volunteers  who  nocked  to  serve- 


Did  Elizabeth  manifest  grief  for  the  death  of  Mory 
Who  invaded  England  in  1588? 


2C8  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

in  it,  thai  it  seemed  much  more  than  s.nTicien!  to  conquer 
England. 

Elizabeth,  meanwhile,  sure  of  the  affection  of  her  peo- 
ple, at  least  of  all  who  were  Protestants,  was  undismayed. 
She  made  every  necessary  preparation  for  defence  :  but 
the  English  fleet,  when  collected  altogether,  was  so  small 
in  comparison  with  that  of  the  Spaniards,  that  her  chief 
reliance  was  in  the  superior  skill  and  bravery  of  her  sea 
men  and  officers. 

The  fleet  was  commanded  by  lord  Howard  of  Effing- 
ham. Drake,  Hawkins,  and  Frobisher  served  under  him. 
The  land  forces,  which  were  very  inferior  to  Philip's,  both 
in  number  and  experience,  were  divided  into  several  bodies. 
One,  commanded  by  lord  Hunsdon,  was  appoirted  to  guard 
the  queen's  person.  Another,  under  Lord  Leicester,  was 
stationed  at  Tilbury  Fort.  The  rest  were  placed  wherever 
it  seemed  most  likely  that  the  Spaniards  would  attempt  i 
landing. 

The  chief  support  of  the  kingdom  was  the  vigor  and 
prudence  of  the  queen  herself,  who,  showing  no  alarms  at 
the  dangers  that  threatened  her,  gave  her  orders  with  de- 
cision, and  omitted  nothing  that  could  infuse  courage  into 
her  people,  and  increase  the  general  security.  This  heroic 
woman  appeared  on  horseback  at  the  camp  at  Tilbury,  and, 
riding  through  the  ranks,  made  so  animating  a  speech  to 
the  soldiers,  that  every  one  felt  roused  to  an  enthusiastic 
attachment  to  her  person. 

Amongst  other  things,  Elizabeth  said  on  this  occasion : 
"  I  know  I  have  but  the  body  of  a  weak  and  feeble  woman, 
but  I  have  the  heart  of  a  king,  and  of  a  king  of  England 
too  :  and  think  foul  scorn  that  Parma  of  Spain,  or  any 
prince  of  Europe,  should  dare  to  invade  the  borders  of  my 
realms  :  to  which,  rather  than  any  dishonor  shall  grow  by 
me,  I  myself  will  take  up  arms  ;  I  myself  will  be  your 
general,  judge,  and  re  warder  of  every  one  of  your  virtues 
in  the  field." 


How  did  Elizabeth  meet  this  emergency  ? 
Who  commanded  the  sea  and  land  forces  at  this  juncture  ? 
Did  Elizabeth  encourage  the  army  ? 

In  what  speech  did  Elizabeth  remaikably  manifest  her  spirit   and  ca- 
pacity ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  269 

While  these  preparations  were  making  in  England,  the 
Armada  was  on  the  point  of  sailing,  but  was  a  little  de 
layed  by  the  death  of  the  admiral,  whose  place  was  sup^ 
plied  by  the  duke  of  Medina  Sidonia,  a  man  utterly  inex- 
perienced in  sea  affairs.  At  length  on  May  29, 1588,  this 
mighty  armament  issued  from  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus ;  but 
a  violent  storm  coming  on  the  next  day,  so  many  of  the 
ships  were  disabled  that  it  was  obliged  to  return  into  har- 
bor to  refit. 

It  again  sailed  with  orders  to  proceed  directly  to  the 
coast  of  Flanders,  thence  to  convey  the  duke  of  Parma 
and  his  troops  to  the  Thames.  But  the  Spanish  t  jmiral 
learning  from  a  fisherman  that  the  English  fleet  was  as- 
sembled at  Plymouth,  ventured,  in  the  hope  of  annihilating 
it  at  one  blow,  to  disobey  his  orders,  and  made  for  that 
port. 

The  Armada,  as  it  approached  the  Lizard  Point,  was 
descried  by  a  Scotch  pirate,  who  was  cruising  in  those 
seas,  and  he,  hoisting  every  sail,  hastened  to  give  notice 
of  the  enemy's  approach.  Effingham  had  just  time  to  get 
out  of  port,  when  he  saw  the  invincible  Armada  coming 
full  sail  towards  him  in  the  form  of  a  cresent,  and  stretch- 
ing over  a  distance  of  seven  miles. 

Lord  Effingham  soon  perceived  how  heavily  the  Spanish 
ships  sailed,  and  that  they  were  very  ill-built  and  unman- 
ageable ;  and  his  confidence  in  his  own  little  fleet  became 
much  strengthened.  He  was  at  first  fearful  of  advancing 
too  near,  lest  the  weight  of  the  Spanish  ships  should  run 
down  his  own. 

Effingham,  however,  soon  saw  that  the  bulk  of  the  ships 
was  an  advantage  to  him,  as  presenting  a  larger  broadside 
for  his  guns  to  act  upon,  and  that  their  cannon  were  placed 
so  high  that  they  shot  over  the  heads  of  the  English.  A 
huge  ship  of  Biscay,  laden  with  money,  took  fire,  and 


When  did  t'le  Spanish  Armada  sail  from  the  mouth  of  the  Tagus  ? 
Whither  did  the  Armada  proceed  ? 

Where  did  the  English  admiral  first  perceive  the  Armada  ? 
What  was  the  construction  of  the  Spanish  ships  ? 

What  was  the  achievement  of  sir  Francis  Drake  in  the  first  engagement 
?ith  the  Spanish  ? 


270  LNGLISH  HISTORY 

another  large  vessel  sprung  her  mast,  and  these  twj,  (all 
in£  behind  the  rest,  were  taken  by  sir  Francis  Drake. 

The  Armada,  however,  still  sailed  heavily  up  the  Chan 
nel ;  and  the  English  vessels,  many  of  them  fitted  out  bv 
private  individuals,  poured  forth  from  every  port,  and 
joined  lord  Effingham,  who  followed  in  the  rear  of  th<- 
Spanish,  and  took  many  of  the  stragglers.  At  last  the 
enemy  cast  anchor  off  Calais,  in  expectation  of  being 
there  joined  by  the  duke  of  Parma. 

Effingham  now  filled  with  combustibles  eight  jf  hiy 
smaller  vessels,  and  sent  them  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy, 
who,  fearful  of  being  set  on  fire  by  them,  cut  their  cables, 
and  dispersed  themselves  in  the  greatest  alarm.  Daring 
this  confusion  the  English  fell  upon  them,  and  took  twelve 
of  their  ships. 

The  duke  of  Parma,  on  seeing  these  disasters  of  the 
Armada,  and  the  superiority  which  the  English  had  gained 
refused  to  hazard  his  army  by  sea  ;  and  the  duke  de  Me- 
dina, finding  his  fleet  nearly  disabled,  while  the  English 
had  only  lost  one  small  vessel,  thought  it  best  to  return 
homewards.  The  winds  being  contrary,  obliged  him  to 
sail  to  the  north,  to  make  the  circuit  of  Scotland  ;  but  the 
English  still  pursued,  and,  had  not  their  ammunition  fallen 
short,  would  probably  have  taken  every  ship. 

The  tempestuous  weather  nearly  completed  the  destruc- 
tion of  this  vast  armament.  Many  of  the  remaining  ships, 
after  beating  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds,  were  wrecked 
on  the  coasts  of  Ireland  and  Scotland  ;  and  those  Spaniards 
who  lived  to  return  home,  gave  their  countrymen  such  for- 
midable accounts  of  the  bravery  of  the  English,  ard  the 
tremendous  dangers  of  their  coasts,  as  effectually  repressed 
all  inclination  to  attempt  another  invasion. 


A    D   I'fifi    '^e  ear*  °^  Leicester  died,  and  the  young 
earl  of  Essex  succeeded  him  in  the  queen's 


"What  was  the  progress  of  the  Spanish  invasion  ? 

How  did  Effingham  proceed  against  the  Spanish  ? 

How  did  the  Spanish  commanders  encounter  the  English  ? 

What  was  the  end  of  the  Spanish  enterprise  ? 

Who  were  the  queen's  distinguished  favorites 


ENGLISH  HlaTORY.  271 

favor.  Essex  was  in  many  respects  more  Reserving  than 
Leicester  had  ever  been.  He  and  sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who 
was  a  distinguished  navigator,  as  well  as  an  accomplished 
courtier,  soon  became  deadly  enemies.  The  queen,  how- 
ever, who  did  not  perplex  herself  with  any  of  their  quarrels, 
delighted  in  the  lofty  and  impetuous  spirit  of  Essex,  and 
permitted  him,  even  when  quite  a  youth,  to  speak  to  her 
with  more  freedom  than  she  would  allow  to  any  of  her  old 
md  faithful  servants. 

A  "H  ^Q<3  Essex  was  appointed  governor  of  Ireland, 
under  the  title  of  lord  lieutenant, — a  very 
difficult  post,  for  the  Irish  had  been  in  an  unsettled  state 
during  the  whole  of  Elizabeth's  reign  ;  and  it  was  with 
difficulty  that  sir  Henry  Sidney,  and  other  wise  and  expe- 
rienced governors,  could  keep  them  in  subjection. 

At  this  time  an  insurrection  had  broken  out  in  Ireland, 
headed  by  a  powerful  chief,  who  had  formerly,  as  a  mark 
of  royal  favor,  received  from  Elizabeth  the  title  of  earl  of 
Tyrone.  Many  of  his  people  had  formerly  served  in  the 
wars  of  Philip  of  Spain,  and  were  very  effective  soldiers  ; 
so  that  the  insurrection  assumed  a  formidable  appearance 
and  required  a  steadier  hand  to  stem  it  than  that  of  the  im- 
petuous Essex,  who  nothing  doubting  of  his  own  abilities, 
hastened  to  take  possession  of  his  government.  But  he 
soon  found  greater  difficulties  than  he  had  anticipated. 

After  some  months  of  harrassing  warfare,  in  which  his 
men  suffered  greatly  from  fatigue  and  sickness,  Essex,  in 
defiance  of  the  queen's  commands,  entered  into  a  truce 
with  Tyrone.  Elizabeth  sent  a  sharp  remonstrance  on 
this  and  other  points  in  which  her  general  had  been  guilty 
of  disobedience,  and  commanded  him  to  remain  in  Ireland 
till  further  orders. 

Essex,  instantly  on  the  receipt  of  this  letter,  set  out  for 
England,  and  arrived  at  court  before  it  could  be  known 
that  he  had  left  Ireland.  As  soon  as  he  reached  the  end 
of  his  journey,  Essex  rushed  into  the  queen's  presence 


Whom  did  Elizabeth  appoint  governor  of  Ireland  1 
Was  the  government  of"  Ireland  at  that  time  difficult  ? 
Did  Essex  obey  the  queen's  orders  in  respect  to   the  government  of 
Ireland  ? 

How  did  Essex  afterwards  displease  the  queen  I 


272  EN01ISH  HISTORY 

without  changing  his  dress,  which  seriously  offended  lid  , 
and  her  displeasure  so  affected  him  as  to  make  him  very 
ill. 

The  queen  was,  moreover,  offended  with  Essex  because 
he  had  disobeyed  her  orders  by  returning  to  England  and 
commanded  him  to  retire  to  his  own  house,  where  he  was 
to  remain  under  a  sort  of  custody,  and  sequestered  from 
all  company.  Lord  Montjoy  was  then  promoted  to  the 
government  of  Ireland,  and,  being  a  man  of  capacity  and 
vigor,  he  soon  retrieved  the  queen's  affairs  in  that  country. 

Montjoy's  prudent  government  made  the  inconsiderate 
conduct  of  Essex  appear  by  comparison  the  more  blama- 
ble  ;  and  Elizabeth,  after  a  severe  struggle  between  her 
affection  for  her  favorite  and  her  sense  of  justice,  at  last 
consented  that  he  should  be  brought  before  the  privy  coun- 
cil to  answer  for  his  mismanagement  of  the  Irish  affairs. 
Essex  did  not  attempt  to  excuse  himself,  but  made  a  hum- 
ble submission  to  the  queen,  by  which  he  hoped  to  restore 
himself  to  her  favor. 

Elizabeth  received  his  contrite  messages  with  great 
complacency ;  but  when  he  applied  to  her  for  a  renewal  of 
a  grant  she  had  formerly  given  him,  she  refused  him  with 
some  contemptuous  expressions.  These  contemptous  ex- 
pressions so  stung  the  proud  heart  of  Essex,  that  the  vio- 
lence of  temper,  which  he  had  with  difficulty  restrained, 
now  broke  loose.  He  declared  in  his  rage,  "that the 
queen,  now  that  she  was  an  old  woman,  was  as  crooked 
in  her  mind  as  in  her  person  :"  which  words  being  repeat- 
ed to  Elizabeth,  incensed  her  more  against  him  than  any 
former  part  of  his  conduct  had  done. 

Essex,  indeed,  was  so  completely  driven  mad  by  his  pas- 
sion, that  he  thought  he  could  overturn  the  government. 
He  entered  into  a  treasonable  correspondence  with  the 
king  of  Scotland ;  but  his  want  of  secrecy  and  caution 
made  him  a  bad  conductor  of  a  plot.  His  scheme  was 
discovered,  and  on  this,  furious  with  rage,  he  rushed  into 
the   streets,  and   made  a  wild    attempt  to   raise  a  mob 


What  punishment  did  Elizabeth  inflict  upon  Essex  ? 
Why  did  Elizabeth  bring  Essex  to  a  public  trial  ? 
How  did  Essex  regard  U.0  queen's  treatment  of  him  ? 
To  what  extravagant  conduct  did  Essex  proceed  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  273 

amongst  the  populace.  But,  though  the  citizens  were 
much  attached  to  him,  they  were  afraid  or  unwilling  to 
join  him. 

Hearing  himself  proclaimed  a  traitor,  and  the  streets 
being  presently  harricadoed  against  him,  so  that  he  could 
not  advance,  Essex  fled  towards  the  river,  and  getting  into 
a  boat,  went  back  by  water  to  Essex  House.  There  he 
was  seized  and  conveyed  to  the  Tower.  His  trial  soon 
followed,  and  his  guilt  was  too  clear  to  give  the  queen  the 
least  pretex  for  granting  him  a  pardon.  Still  her  former 
tenderness,  and  her  late  resentment,  kept  her  in  a  most 
pitiable  state  during  the  painful  interval  which  elapsed  be- 
tween sighing  his  death-warrant  and  his  execution. 

It  appears  that  the  queen,  aware  of  his  impetuous  tem- 
per, and  how  little  guard  he  had  over  himself,  had  for- 
merly given  him  a  ring,  telling  him  that  whatever  disgrace 
he  might  afterwards  fall  into,  she  would  promise  him,  on 
receiving  again  that  ring,  to  give  him  a  favorable  hearing 
This  pledge  she  had  fully  expected  to  receive  at  this  junc- 
ture of  his  fate,  and  she  attributed  it  to  obstinacy  his  not 
sending  it.  And  when  she  had  given  him  as  she  thought 
ample  time  for  repentance,  and  yet  there  came  not  the 
important  ring,  she  no  longer  delayed  his  execution,  which 
took  place  February  25,  1601. 

For  a  time  her  feelings  of  resentment  supported  her  un- 
der the  loss  of  her  favorite.  But  this  consolation,  such  as 
it  was,  was  taken  from  her  when,  about  two  years  after 
the  death  of  Essex,  the  countess  of  Nottingham  being  on 
her  death-bed,  besought  the  queen  to  come  to  her,  as  she 
had  something  to  reveal.  She  then  confessed  that  Essex 
had  entrusted  her  with  the  ring  to  restore  it  to  her  majesty, 
but  that  she  had  been  prevailed  on  by  her  husband  to  with 
hold  it. 

Elizabeth,  in  an  agony  of  grief  at  this  disclosure,  shook 
the  dying  countess  in  her  bed,  and  said  that  "God  might 
forgive  her,  but  she  never  could."  She  then  broke  from 
her,  and  when  she  regained  her  own  apartments,  threw 


Did  the  queen  cordially  consent  to  the  the  execution  of  Essex  ? 
Did  the  queen  ever  give  Essex  a  ring,  and  on  what  condition  ? 
Who  intercepted  from  the  queen  the  ring  hebnging  to  Essex  ? 
Did  Elizabeth  forgive  the  countess  of  Nottingham  ? 


274  ENGLISH  HISTORV. 

herself  on  the  floor,  and  gave  herself  up  to  the  most  incu 
rable  melancholy. 

For  ten  days  and  nights  she  lay  on  the  ground,  support 
ed  by  cushions.  She  refused  to  go  to  bed,  or  to  take  any 
thing  that  her  physicians  prescribed.  Her  end  visibly 
approaching,  her  attendants  requested  her  to  appoint  her 
successor.  Some  authors  say  she  actually  named  the  king 
of  Scotland.  Others  say  that  when  he  was  named  to  her, 
she  raised  her  hand  to  her  head,  which  her  ministers  were 
willing  to  interpret  into  a  sign  of  consent.  • 

When  she  grew  too  weak  to  make  resistance,  she  was 
laid  in  her  bed.  In  the  evening  of  the  last  day  of  her  life, 
the  archbishop  of  Canterbury  came  to  pray  by  her  :  and 
when,  after  some  hours,  he  left  off  from  weariness,  she 
made  a  sign  to  him  to  go  on,  and  did  so  every  time  he 
ceased  to  speak.  This  lasted  till  towards  four  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  when  her  attendants  perceived  she  had 
ceased  to  breathe.  She  died  March  24, 1603,  in  the  70th 
year  of  her  age,  and  the  45th  of  her  reign. 


Although  Elizabeth  preserved  the  internal  tranquility  of 
the  kingdom  unbroken  during  the  whole  of  her  long  reign, 
yet  the  perpetual  warfare  she  carried  on  with  Philip,  to- 
gether with  the  occasional  assistance  she  gave  to  the  Pro- 
testants in  France,  kept  up  a  military  spirit  among  her 
subjects.  She  chose  her  admirals  far  more  fortunately  and 
more  judiciously  than  she  did  her  generals,  and  conse- 
quently her  expeditions  by  sea  were  in  general  much  more 
successful  than  those  she  attempted  by  land. 

In  an  expedition  to  the  Low  Countries,  sir  Philip  Sidney 
was  killed  at  the  siege  at  Zutphen.  He  was  considered 
the  most  accomplished  gentleman  in  England ;  and  the 
sorrow  for  his  death  was  so  great,  that  both  the  court  and 
the  city  went  into  mourning. 


Did  Elizabeth  name  a  successor  ? 
How,  and  when  did  Elizabeth  die  ? 

Was  the  military  spirit  kept  up  in  England  during  the  reigu  of  Eluia 
teth  X 

Where  was  sir  Sidney  Philip  killed7 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  275 

Elizabeth  outlived  her  great  enemy  the  king  of  Spain 
two  years.  The  trade  of  England  would  have  increased 
Greatly  in  this  reign  had  not  the  activity  and  industry  of 
the  merchants  been  fettered  by  the  patents  and  monopolies 
which  Elizabeth  granted  to  her  courtiers  and  favorites. 

The  Protestants,  though  their  religion  was  now  estab- 
lished, were  yet  unfortunately  divided  amongst  themselves. 
Many  who  had  been  exiled  in  the  reign  of  Mary  had  found 
refuge  at  Geneva,  and  had  there  learned  the  doctrine  of 
Calvin,  the  Swiss  reformer.  These  persons,  when  they 
returned  to  England  on  the  accession  of  Elizabeth,  were 
much  shocked  to  find  that  she  retained,  not  cnly  many  of 
the  prayers,  but  also  many  of  the  outward  observances  of 
the  Romish  church. 

The  Puritans,  for  so  they  were  called  onaccount  of  their 
way  of  life,  scrupled,  amongst  other  things,  to  perform  the 
service  of  the  church  in  a  surplice,  and  many  of  the  Puritan 
clergy  refused  benefices  rather  than  be  guilty  of  what  they 
considered  so  great  an  impiety.  A  benefice  is  a  living  in 
the  established,  that  is,  the  Episcopal  church  of  England. 

The  queen,  during  her  whole  reign,  was  constantly  on 
the  watch  to  keep  down  the  Puritans  ;  and  they,  on  their 
side,  were  as  constantly  seizing  every  opportunity  to  ad- 
vance their  cause.  Their  public  preaching  and  private 
exhortations  had  a  visible  effect  on  the  manners  of  the  age, 
particularly  in  regard  to  the  employment  of  the  Sunday, 
which,  by  their  example,  began  universally  to  be  observed 
with  seriousness,  instead  of  being  made  as  heretofore,  a 
day  of  pastime,  and  often  of  excess. 

In  the  fifth  year  of  this  reign  was  enacted  the  first  com 
pulsory  law  for  the  relief  of  the  poor,  which  is  the  founda- 
tion of  the  present  poor  laws  in  England,  and  by  another 
act  of  parliament  passed  in  1601,  the  system  as  it  now 
exists  was  nearly  completed. 

A  trade  between  England  and  Turkey  was  begun  about 


Did  trade  flourish  in  Eng  and  during  the  reign  of  Elizabeth  ? 
Were  the  Protestants  united  1     Who  were  the  Puritans? 
Did  the  queen  favor  the  Puritans,  and  did  they  influence  the  msnnt-rt? 
uf  the  time  ? 
When  were  the  present  poor  laws  of  England  first  enacted  ? 
Wteu  was  the  English  trade  with  Turkey  commenced  » 


276  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

!he  year  1583.  The  fame  of  the  English  queen  (hen 
fi:  st  readied  the  ears  of  the  Grand  Signor,  who  till  then 
had  believed  that  England  was  a  dependent  province  tu 
France. 

The  character  of  Elizabeth  is  a  very  difficult  one  to 
comprehend.  She  had  the  courage  and  understanding  of 
a  man,  with  more  than  a  woman's  vanity  and  weakness. 
She  was  attached  to  her  people,  and  imposed  few  taxes, 
and  inflicted  few  punishments  ;  but  nevertheless,  she  was 
one  of  the  most  arbitrary  of  monarchs.  She  treated  the 
house  of  commons  with  the  utmost  haughtiness,  and  more 
than  once  sent  her  commands  to  the  members  "  to  avoid 
Long  speeches." 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

JAMES   I. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1602—1625.] 

James  was  thirty  seven  years  old  when  by  the  death  ot 
Elizabeth  he  was  raised  to  the  English  throne,  and  thus 
united  the  whole  island  under  one  sovereign.  His  charac 
ter  was  an  odd  mixture  of  sense  and  folly.  He  posses- 
sed a  natural  shrewdness  and  sagacity,  with  a  great  share 
of  vanity  and  conceit ;  and  he  made  even  his  learning, 
which  was  considerable,  appear  ridiculous  by  his  pedantry 
and  pomposity.  With  all  this  he  had  a  great  deal  of 
childish  simplicity ;  and  there  was  an  openness  of  temper 
about  him,  which,  the  ugh  it  may  be  reckoned  a  virtue  yel 
made  him  quite  unfit  io  control  the  jealousies  which  arose 
botween  his  English  and  Scotch  subjects. 

His  person  was  awkward,  and  his  manners  uncouth, 
and  without,  dignity  ;  and  these  defects,  together  with  his 
broad  Scotch  accent,  soon  made  him  an  object  of  contempt 


Is  the  character  of  Elizabeth  easily  comprehended  .' 

"What  was  the  character  of  James  J.  ? 

Did  J^nies  command  the  resDect  of  the  English  ? 


ENGLISH  HI&T0RY.  '  27? 

to  those  who  had  been  accustomed  to  the  stately  majesty 
of  Elizabeth. 

James  had  married  Anne,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Den- 
mark, whose  person  and  deportment  are  described  as  hav- 
ing been  very  homely  and  unprepossessing.  They  had 
three  children  at  the  time  of  James's  accession.  The  eld- 
est, Henry,  was  a  promising  boy  of  nine  years  old  ;  the 
second  child  was  named  Elizabeth  ;  and  Charles,  the 
youngest,  was  a  boy  of  four  years  old. 

James,  though  surrounded  on  his  arr'val  in  England 
by  Scotch  nobles,  all  greedy  of  English  honors,  still  re- 
tained many  of  Elizabeth's  ministers  in  their  places.  The 
most  distinguished  of  these  was  Cecil  lord  Salisbury,  son 
of  the  great  lord  Burleigh,  who  possessed  much  of  his 
father's  capacity,  but  without  his  integrity.  One  of  the 
first  acts  of  the  king  was  to  restore  the  family  of  Howard, 
and  some  others  who  had  suffered  in  his  mother's  cause, 
to  their  estates  and  honors. 

A  conspiracy  was  soon  afterwards  formed  to  place  on 
the  throne  the  lady  Arabella  Stuart.  This  lady  was  the 
daughter  of  a  brother  of  lord  Darnley,  the  king's  father  ; 
consequently  she  was  his  first  cousin,  and  equally  de- 
scended with  himself  from  Henry  VII.  Her  mother  was 
an  English  lady  of  the  Cavendish  family,  and  she  had 
been  brought  up  amongst  her  mother's  relations  in  great 
privacy. 

Lady  Arabella  was  neither  qualified  nor  desirous  to  be 
a  queen,  and  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  conspiracy.  The 
plot  was  soon  discovered,  and  three  persons  were  executed. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh  who  had  been  accused  of  sharing  in 
it,  but  whose  guilt  was  not  proved,  was  condemned  to 
death,  but  reprieved,  and  afterwards  remained  in  prison 
many  years. 

The  Roman  Catholics  had  expected  great  indulgence 
trom  James  for  his  motor's  sake  ;  but  they  found,  to  then 


What  was  James's  family  ? 

What  were  the  first  acts  of  James's  government  ? 
What  were  lady  Arrabella   Stuart's  pretensions  to  the  throne  of   Eng 
land  ? 

Who  were  engaged-in  the  conspiracy  in  behalf  of  lady  Arabella  ! 
V/mt  plot  was  concerted  by  the  Catholics  ? 


278  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

gieat  disappointment,  that  he  was  no  less  steady  than  Eli- 
zabeth had  been  to  the  cause  of  the  Protestants ;  and  to 
this  disappointment  was  owing  the  well-known  Gunpow- 
der Plot,  which  had  its  first  rise  in  1604. 

Catesby  and  Percy,  two  Catholic  gentlemen,  being  in 
conversation  on  public  affairs,  Percy  in  great  heat,  said 
something  about  assassinating  the  king.  Tho  other  re- 
plied that  his  single  death  would  do  them  little  good,  and 
that  they  also  must  get  rid  of  the  lords  and  commons  :  he 
then  suggested  the  possibility  of  laying  a  train  of  gunpow- 
der under  the  parliament  house,  which  would  blow  them 
up  altogether. 

Percy  approved  of  the  project :  it  was  also  agreed  to 
communicate  it  to  a  few  other  persons  ;  and  they  sent  into 
Flanders  in  quest  of  Guy  Fawkes,  a  man  of  known  cour- 
age and  zeal,  then  serving  in  the  Spanish  army,  who  they 
knew  would  be  actively  useful  in  the  execution  of  their 
scheme. 

This  plot  was  in  agitation  all  the  spring.  In  the  sum- 
mer, the  conspirators  hired,  in  Percy's  name,  a  house  ad- 
joining the  house  of  lords,  and  began  to  undermine  the 
wall  between  the  two.  After  they  had  carried  on  their 
work  some  time,  they  learnt  that  a  vault  which  had  been 
used  as  a  coal  vault,  and  which  was  immediately  under  the 
house  of  lords,  was  to  be  let.  Percy  hired  it,  and  secreth 
placed  in  it  thirty-six  barrels  of  gunpowder,  and  concealed 
them  with  faggots  and  billets  of  wood. 

Every  thing  being  ready,  it  was  resolved  that  some  o\ 
the  conspirators  should  seize  and  kill  the  little  prince 
Charles  ;  and  that  others  should  get  possession  of  the  prin- 
cess Elizabeth,  and  proclaim  her  queen,  on  the  same  day 
on  which  the  king  and  queen,  and  their  eldest  son,  were 
to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  the  parliament.  Thus 
confident  were  they  of  destroying  their  victims. 

This  secret,  though  entrusted  to  above  twenty  persons, 
had  been  faithfully  kept  for  near  a  year  and  a  half ;  during 


What  was  the  Gun-powder  PV>t  ? 

Who  was  Guy  Fawkes  ? 

What  active  measures  were  taften  by  the  conspirators  ? 

Did  the  conspirators  intend  to  destroy  the  royal  family  1 

Was  the  secret  of  the  conspirators  faithfully  kept  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  279 

which  period  the  execution  was  delayed  from  time  to  time 
by  the  repealed  adjournments  of  parliament.  The  bigotry 
of  the  conspirators  stifled  all  compunction  at  the  thoughts 
of  destroying  so  many  of  their  fellow-creatures. 

A  few  days  before  the  meeting  of  parliament,  lord  Mont- 
eagle  received  a  letter,  very  ambiguously  expressed,  which 
however,  warned  him  of  danger,  and  admonished  him  to 
go  into  the  country  instead  of  attending  parliament. 
Monteagle  knew  not  what  to  think  of  this  letter,  and 
showed  it  to  loid  Salisbury,  who  was  no  inclined  to  pay 
much  attention  \o  it ,  but  who  nevertheless,  laid  it  before 
the  king. 

The  king  had  sagaciiy  enough  to  perceive,  from  its 
serious,  earnest  style,  that  something  important  was  meant ; 
and  this  forewarning  of  a  sudden  and  terrible  blow,  yet 
with  the  authors  concealed,  made  his  suspicions  come 
very  near  the  truth.  The  day  before  the  meeting  of  par- 
liament, he  sent  the  earl  of  SurTolk  to  examine  all  the 
vaults  under  the  houses  of  pailiament. 

In  that  which  was  under  the  house  of  lords,  Suffolk 
was  surprised  to  see  so,  many  piles  of  wood  and  faggots, 
and  was  also  struck  with  the  daikand  mysterious  counte- 
nance of  Guy  Fawkes,  who  was  found  there,  and  who 
called  himself  Percy's  servant.  It  was  then  resolved  to 
make  a  more  thorough  inspection,  and  about  midnight  a 
magistrate  was  sent  with  proper  attendance  for  that  pur- 
pose. On  turning  over  the  faggots,  the  barrels  of  gun- 
powder were  discovered. 

Fawkes  had  been  seized  near  the  door,  and  matches, 
and  every  thing  required  for  setting  the  train  on  fire,  were 
found  upon  him.  He  at  first  appeared  quite  undaunted, 
but  his  courage  afterwards  failed  him,  and  he  made  a  fill1 
discovery  of  the  plot,  and  all  the  conspirators.  Catesby 
Percy  and  some  others,  hurried  into  Warwickshire,  where 
one  of  their  confederates,  sir  Everard  Digby,  not  doubting 
but  that  the  expected  catastrophe  in  London  had  taken 
place,  was  already  in  arms. 


What  intimation  of  danger  was  sent  to  lord  Monteagle  ? 
What  opinion  did  the  king  form  of  the  letter  to  lord  Mcnteaglo  ? 
What  discoveries  in  relation  to  the  plot  were  made  by  the  earl  of  Suf- 
folk T 

Jlcm  did  the  conspirators  meet  detection  ? 


280  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

The  country  was  soon  roused  against  these  wretches 
who  took  refuge  in  one  of  those  fortified  houses  which 
were  common  at  that  period,  and  resolved  to  defend  them- 
selves to  the  last.  But  the  same  fate  awaited  them  which 
they  had  designed  for  so  many  others.  Their  gun-powder 
caught  fire,  and  blew  up,  maiming  and  destroying  several 
of  them.  The  rest  rushed  out  upon  the  multitude,  and 
were  literally  cut  to  pieces,  except  a  few  who  were  taken 
alive,  and  afterwards  executed. 

The  king  showed  more  moderation  on.  this  occasion 
than  was  approved  of  by  his  subjects  in  general,  who  were 
wound  up  to  such  a  pitch  of  horror  at  the  greatness  of  the 
crime  which  had  been  attempted,  that  they  would  gladly 
have  had  every  Paptist  in  the  kingdom  put  to  death;  and 
they  were  much  displeased  that  James  punished  those 
only  who  were  more  immediately  concerned  in  the  plot 


Soon  after  his  accession,  James  employed  himself  in  an 
unsuccessful  attempt  to  bring  about  a  union  between  his 
two  kingdoms :  but  the  parliament  of  England  was  so 
much  swayed  by  old  prejudices  and  antipathies  against 
the  Scots,  that  it  would  agree  to  nothing,  except  to  annul 
the  hostile  laws  that  had  formerly  subsisted  between  the 
two  kingdoms.  The  union  of  the  kingdoms,  meant  the 
bringing  the  parliaments  of  both  into  one  assembly,  and 
making  the  same  legislation  serve  for  England  and  Scot- 
land. 

James's  bad  management  of  the  finances,  and  his  pro 
fuse  generosity  to  his  favorites,  involved  him  in  great  dif- 
ficulties. Amongst  other  ways  of  procuring  money,  he 
sold  titles  and  dignities.  The  title  of  baronet,  which  might 
be  purchased  by  any  bidder  for  a  thousand  pounds,  was 
now  first  created  to  supply  his  necessities. 

One  of  James's  greatest  follies  was  an  exclusive  regard 
for  some  one  favorite,  who  was  generally  chosen  for  his 


How  were  the  conspirators  treated  ? 

How  did  the  English  generally  regard  the  papists  at  this  timo  ? 

Did  the  English  and  Scots  form  a  union  ? 

Was  James  improvident  ? 

Whom  did  the  king  cveate  earl  of  Somerset  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  281 

agreeable  exterior.  One  of  these  was  Robert  Can',  a 
youth  of  a  good  Scotch  family,  but  of  a  neglected  educa- 
tion. James  undertook  to  be  his  tutor,  and  to  teach  him 
Latin.  As  he  grew  older,  the  king  loaded  him  with  digni- 
ties, and  finally  created  him  earl  of  Somerset. 

This  favorite  had  a  sincere  and  wise  friend,  sir  Thomas 
Overbuiy,  who,  on  his  wishing  to  marry  the  countess  ot 
Essex,  strongly  advised  him  against  it.  The  countess, 
irritated  at  Overbury  on  this  account,  persuaded  Somerset 
to  have  him  put  into  the  Tower,  where  he  was  soon  after 
wards  poisonc  d.  Somerset  and  the  countess,  the  guilty 
contrivers  of  his  death,  then  married  :  but  he,  being  les? 
hardened  in  wickedness,  sank  into  a  settled  melancholy, 
and  became  so  dull  a  companion,  that  the  king,  who  liked 
gaiety  and  cheerfulness,  grew  weary  of  him. 

Some  time  afterwards,  the  apothecary's  apprentice,  who 
had  mixed  the  poison  for  Overbury,  betrayed  the  secret. 
The  guilt  of  Somerset  and  his  wife  was  discovered,  and 
they,  and  all  who  had  been  accessary  to  the  murder,  were 
tried  ;  the  accomplices,  were  hanged,  but  Somerset  and 
the  countess  were  only  banished.  They  lived  many 
years  together,  dragging  on  a  miserable  life  ;  their  former 
attachment,  which  had  led  them  into  guilt,  being  turned 
to  the  most  deadly  hate. 

A  T)  1fil"3  The  earl  of  Salisbury  died.  He  had  been 
trained  in  the  school  of  Elizabeth,  and 
was  by  far  the  ablest  of  all  James's  ministers. 

Some  months  before,  the  king  had  lost  his  eldest  son, 
a  prince  of  the  highest  promise.  He  was  only  in  the 
eighteenth  year  of  his  age  ;  but  had  already  shown  a  spirit 
and  nobleness  of  character,  which  had  greatly  endeaicd 
him  to  the  English,  particularly  to  many  restless  and  ar- 
dent men,  who,  tired  of  the  peace  and  inactivity  of  his 
father's  reign,  hoped  to  signalize  themselves  by  military 
exploits  under  a  prince  of  such  a  martial  genius. 


What  is  the  history  of  sir  Thomas  Overbury  ? 

What  was  the  end  of  Somerset  and  hi3  wife  't 

"Was  the  carl  of  Salisbury  an  able  minister  ? 

What  was  the  character  of  Prince  Henry,  son  of  James  LV 

13 


282  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Thirteen  years  of  imprisonment  had  sublued  Raleigh's 
p-ide  and  haughtiness.  The  people,  admiring  his  accom- 
plishments, and  loving  him  for  the  fine  qualities  of  his 
heart,  were  exceedingly  desirous  of  his  liberation.  James, 
induced  perhaps  by  the  hope  of  obtaining  a  certain  gold 
mine  in  Guiana,  which  Raleigh  said  he  knew  to  be  in  ex- 
istence, gave  him  leave  to  go  and  try  his  fortune  ;  but  still 
would  not  reverse  the  sentence  of  death  which  hung  ovei 
his  head. 

Raleigh  set  sail  with  several  ships,  and  directed  hid 
course  to  the  river  Oronooko  ;  but  the  adventurers  who 
had  embarked  with  him  in  the  hope  of  sharing  in  the  ex- 
pected gold  mine  were  disappointed,  and  nothing  was 
effected  but  the  destroying  of  a  small  Spanish  town,  in  the 
attack  on  which  Raleigh's  son  was  killed.  The  object  of 
the  expedition  having  failed,  great  murmurs  arose  against 
the  commander,  and  he  found  himself  obliged  to  return 
to  England. 

A  particular  inquiry  into  Raleigh's  late  conduct  was  in- 
stituted, and  the  king  at  length  ordered  the  sentence  of 
death  which  had  been  formerly  passed  on  him  to  be  put 
in  force  :  he  was  beheaded,  Oct.  20,  1618.  This  act  of 
deliberate  cruelty  is  the  greatest  blot  in  James's  (in  other 
respects)  lenient  reign,  and  caused  at  the  time  strong 
indignation  amongst  the  people,  who  felt  that  they  had  lost 
the  only  man  in  the  kingdom  who  had  any  reputation  for 
valor,  or  any  military  experience. 

Of  all  those  men  of  brilliant  talents  who  had  encom- 
passed the  throne  of  Elizabeth,  there  was  now  only  one 
left.  This  was  lord  Bacon,  whose  advancement  had  in 
the  late  reign  been  always  opposed  by  lord  Burleigh,  who 
hjssured  Elizabeth  that,  though  he  was  a  man  of  extraor 
dinary  genius,  his  head  was  filled  with  philosophy,  and  not 
with  political  knowledge. 

James  raised  Bacon  to  the  chancellorship,  and  his  mis- 
conduct in  that  high  post  fully  justified  the  sagacious  Bur 


Why  did  king  James  liberate  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  ? 
Did  Raleigh's  last  voyage   procure  any  advantage  to  the   English  n<v 
km  ? 
What  impolitic  and  cruel  sentence  was  passed  upon  Raleigh  T 
Who  was  lord  Bacon  '! 
Why  was  Bacon  deprived  of  his  honore  T 


ENGLISH  HIST0AY.  283 

leieh's  opinion  He  was  proved,  if  rot  to  have  taker, 
bribes  himself,  at  least  to  have  connived  at  his  officers  tak« 
ing  them  ;  and  being  impeached  on  this  heavy  charge,  and 
pleading  guilty,  he  was  dismissed  from  his  office  of  chan- 
cellor and  sentenced  to  pay  a  heavy  fine  and  to  be 
imprisoned  during  the  king's  pleasure. 

James,  in  consideration  of  his  many  merits,  soon  releas- 
ed him  from  prison,  remitted  the  fine,  and  all  the  other 
parts  of  his  sentence.  He  survived  his  disgrace  five  years, 
during  which  time  he  employed  himself  in  prosecuting 
those  philosophical  studies  in  which  he  was  naturally  fitted 
a)  excel,  and  in  which  he  has  attained  a  higher  and  juster 
reputation  than,  perhaps,  any  other  writer  of  any  age  or 
country. 

AD  I  fil  Q  James  was  strongly  solicited  to  engage 
in  a  war  for  the  support  of  the  elector 
palatine,  who  had  married  his  daughter,  and  had  been 
made  king  of  Bohemia  by  the  free  choice  of  the  people  of 
that  country,  who  had  revolted  from  the  emperor  of  Ger- 
many. The  elector's  reign  was  of  short  duration  ;  for  his 
troops  were  defeated  by  the  Austrians  at  the  battle  of 
Prague,  and  he  thus  lost  not  only  his  newly  acquired  king- 
dom, but  also  his  hereditary  principality,  and  was  driven 
with  his  family  to  take  refuge  in  Holland. 

The  elector  made  many  efforts  to  regain  the  palatinate, 
and  was  assisted  by  the  free  services  of  a  few  valiant  Eng- 
lishmen :  but  he  in  vain  solicited  support  from  his  father- 
in-law,  whose  reluctance  to  engage  in  war  was  so  great 
that  he  refused  to  assist  him  in  any  other  way  than  by 
entering  into  treaties  and  negotiations  with  other  princes 
of  Europe  in  his  behalf.  These  took  up  a  great  deal  ol 
time,  without  producing  any  advantage. 

One  of  James's  schemes  was  to  obtain  the  restoration  of 
the  elector,  through  the  intervention  of  the  king  of  Spain, 
with  whom  he  had  entered  into  a  treaty  for  a  marriage  be- 
tween the  infanta  and  the  prince  of  Wales.    The  thoughts 


Why  did  James  pardon  lord  Bacon  ? 

Who  was  James's  son-in-law  and  what  were  bis  misfortunes? 

Did  James  enter  into  the  concerns  of  the  elector  palatine  I 

What  project  did  James  form   for  the  marriage  of  his  son.  and    who 

encouraged  him  in  it  ? 


284  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

of  this  marriage  were  exceedingly  disagreeable  to  theEng 
lish  people,  who  had  not  forgotten  all.  that  the  nation  had 
formerly  sufTered  from  a  Spanish  match :  but  James  was 
determined  on  it,  and  in  this  determination  he  was  greatly 
encouraged  by  George  Villiers,  duke  of  Buckingham,  who 
had  been  for  some  time  his  exclusive  favorite,  and  whc 
nad  an  unbounded  influence  both  over  him  and  the  prince 

Buckingham,  to  gratify  some  fancy  of  his  own,  possess- 
ed the  prince  with  the  desire  to  undertake  a  romantic  jour- 
ney into  Spain,  to  see  the  princess,  and  win  her  regard. 
It  was  with  great  difficulty  that  the  king  could  be  per- 
suaded to  give  his  consent  to  this  project.  At  last,  over- 
powered by  earnest  importunity,  he  agreed,  entirely 
against  his  <Mvn  judgment,  to  permit  the  departure  of  his 
son  and  Buckingham. 

The  prince  and  duke,  persisting  in  their  plan,  left  Eng- 
land disguised  and  undiscovered.  In  their  way  through 
Paris,  they  went  to  a  court-ball,  where  Charles  first  saw 
the  French  princess  Henrietta  Maria,  whom  he  afterwards 
married.  When  Charles  arrived  at  Madrid,  he  made  him- 
self and  his  errand  known.  The  king  of  Spain  treated  him 
with  respect ;  but  whether  it  was  that  Charles  did  not  like 
the  Spanish  princess  so  well  as  the  beautiful  sister  of  the 
king  of  France,  it  is  certain  that,  after  an  absence  of  some 
months,  he  returned  to  England  .wholly  unwilling  to  pur- 
sue the  treaty  into  which  James  had  entered.  James  was 
afterwards  persuaded  to  enter  into  another  treaty  with 
France  for  the  marriage  of  the  princess  Henrietta  Maria, 
and  this  at  last  he  very  unwillingly  did. 

James,  finding  all  his  attempts  at  an  end  to  obtain  assis- 
tance for  his  son-in-law  by  negotiations,  at  last  resolved  to 
pursue  more  vigorous  measures,  and  embarked  a  body  of 
troops  for  his  succor,  which  were  to  act  under  count 
Mansfeldt,  a  celebrated  German  commander  ;  but  James 
had  no  genius  for  war,  and  the  expedition  was  ill  planned 
and  came  to  nothing.     This  was  the  only  warlike  enter- 


Who  persuaded  prince  Charles  to  go  to  Spain,  and  who  opposed  that 
visit  ? 

How  was  Charles  treated  at  Madrid,  and  what  princess  did  he  desire 
for  a  wife  ? 

What  were  James's  warlike  enterprises  1 


FNGLISH  HISTORY.  285 

prise  undertaken  by  England  during  this  pacific  reign, 
with  the  exception  of  sending  to  Holland,  a  short  time  he* 
i'ore,  a  body  of  six  thousand  men,  to  serve  under  the  com- 
mand of  Maurice,  prince  of  Orange. 

A  D  ~\C9(\  While  the  negotiation  was  still  pending 
for  the  marriage  of  Charles  and  Henrietta 
Maria,  die  king  fell  ill  of  an  ague.  Finding  his  end  ap- 
proaching, he  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  his  son,  and 
died  in  the  59th  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  22d  of  his  reign 

The  conduct  of  James  appeared  to  great  advantage  in 
his  government  of  Ireland,  which  he  found,  at  his  coming 
to  the  crown,  in  a  very  disordered  state.  He  endeavored 
to  civilize  the  inhabitants,  and  to  reconcile  them  to  laws 
and  industry :  he  abolished  many  remains  of  barbarism, 
and  established  English  laws  in  that  country  ;  he  declared 
the  people  free  ;  and  he  did  more  in  nine  years  to  melio- 
rate the  condition  of  that  island  than  had  been  done  pre- 
viously in  the  four  centuries  during  which  it  had  been  sub- 
ject to  the  English  yoke. 


To  James  I.  we  are  indebted  for  the  excellent  trans- 
lation of  the  bible  now  in  use.  Cranmer's  bible,  having 
been  made  from  very  defective  Latin  translations,  was  in 
many  places  not  faithful  to  the  originals.  James,  there- 
fore, employed  some  very  learned  men  to  make  a  transla- 
tion from  the  original  languages, — the  Old  Testament, 
being  in  the  Hebrew,  and  the  New  Testament  in  the  Greek 
language.  Nearly  fifty  persons  were  employed  about  it, 
and  were  four  years  in  completing  it.  The  excellence  of 
the  translation  is  universally  acknowledged. 

English  books  were  at  first  printed  in  the  German  char- 
acter. When  Caxton  brought  the  art  of  printing  from 
Germany,  he  brought  with  him  the  types  used  in  that  coun- 
try j  and  from  these,  and  similar  types,  all  English  books 


Whet  did  James  die  ? 

Did  James  attempt  the  civilization  of  Ireland  ? 

What  great  benefit  did  James  confer  on  all  who  spoke  the  English  Ian 
jage  ? 
Were  English  books  first  printed  in  the  type  we  now  use  ? 


286 


ENGLISH   HISTORY 


were  printed,  till  the  reign  of  James  I.  when  the  Roman 
character  (the  one  now  employed)  was  adopted,  and  soon 
entirely  superseded  the  use  of  the  old  black  letter. 

In  the  reign  of  James  the  soldiers  led  idle  lives,  but  the 
sailors  were  not  without  employment.  The  increase  of 
trade  and  commerce,  and  the  frequent  voyages  to  America, 
gave  them  something  to  do  :  for  in  this  reign  may  be  dated 
the  establishment  of  the  first  English  colonies  in  America. 
James  also  took  great  pride  in  his  navy,  and  built  many 
large  ships. 


Though  James's  court  was  a  continual  scene  of  discon- 
tent and  misrule,  the  mass  of  the  people  appeared  to  have 
lived  very  comfortably  under  his  reign.  By  discouraging 
the  thronging  of  the  higher  orders  to  court,  he  kept  many 
of  the  principal  families  of  the  kingdom  quietly  at  home 
where  they  lived  both  frugally  and  usefully  amongst  their 
tenantry.  There  were  no  expensive  wars,  and  but  few- 
taxes 


Riding  at  the  Ring. 


The  farmers  in  James's  reign  were  better  off  than  fcjie 
earls  of  Henry  VII. 's.  James^  himself  was  probably  the 
poorest  man  in  his  dominions.  Though  not  extravagant 
En  his  habits,  he  was  always  embarrassed  from  his  extreme 


What  was  the  condition  of  the  army  and  navy  in  James's  reign  ? 
Whitt  was  the  condition  of  the  English  nation  generally  in  thisreigr.  ? 
Was  James  often  in  want  of  money  and  wbi'  ? 


ENGL"SH   HISTORY.  287 

ignorance  of  the  value  of  money,  and  from  his  thoughtless 
profusion  to  his  favorites.  The  queen  also  brought  great 
expenses  on  him,  by  her  excessive  passion  for  masques,  and 
all  kinds  of  show  and  entertainments. — Masques  were  a 
Kind  of  plays,  generally  performed  by  ladies  and  gentle- 
men in  private  houses. 

It  is  proper  to  mention  that  Shakspeare,  the  greatest 
dramatic  poet  of  England,  lived  in  the  reigns  of  Elizabeth 
and  James.  Ben  Johnson  and  Edmund  Spenser,  also 
poets,  were  contemporaries  with  Shakspeare. 


PRINCE  HENRY. 

Prince  Henry  is  always  spoken  of  as  a  very  extraordi- 
nary young  man.  He  showed  such  an  early  application 
to  his  studies,  that  even  at  the  time  when  he  was  seven 
years  old  he  wrote  his  father  a  Latin  letter.  And  after  he 
grew  up,  he  constantly  exercised  himself  in  that  language, 
by  corresponding  in  it  with  his  friend,  sir  John  Harring- 
ton. Although  he  was  fond  of  study,  he  did  not  neglect 
active  and  manly  exercises,  in  all  which  he  was  extraordi- 
narily expert. 

But  what  was  most  admirable  in  him  was  his  great  judg- 
ment and  discretion,  of  which,  though  he  died  so  young, 
lie  gave  many  proofs.  "When  he  grew  old  enough  to  have 
a  separate  establishment,  tfiat  is,  a  palace  and  servants  ol 

Was  Prince  Henry  a  promising  youth  ? 
What  was  Prince  Henry's  moral  conduct? 


288  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

his  own,  he  never  would  admit  any  one  into  his  house- 
hold whom  he  did  not  believe  to  be  in  all  respects  deserv- 
ing of  his  good  opinion.  He  was  himself  sincerely  reli- 
gious, and  a  strict  observer  of  all  pious  duties. 


Lady  Arabella  Stuart's  history  belongs  to  this  reign, 
and  a  very  melancholy  one  it  is.  It  was  her  misfortune 
to  be  great-great-grand-daughter  to  Henry  VII. ;  for  being, 
after  Mary  queen  of  Scots  and  her  son,  nearest  in  relation- 
ship to  the  throne,  she  was  an  object  of  jealousy  to  both 
Elizabeth  and  James  James,  however,  when  he  came  to 
the  crown  of  England,  behaved  kindly  to  her  as  long  as 
she  remained  unmarried.  At  last  she  married  a  Mr.  Sey 
mour.  For  this  offence  both  Mr.  Seymour  and  she  were 
imprisoned.  Though  confined  in  different  prisons,  they 
both  of  them  contrived  to  make  their  escape  at  the  same 
time  ;  and  hoped  to  join  each  other  in  some  place  of  re 
fuge  abroad. 

Mr.  Seymour  was  so  fortunate  as  to  get  safely  into 
Flanders ;  but  poor  Lady  Arabella  was  taken  in  Calais  road, 
and  brought  back.  This  renewal  of  her  captivity  preyed 
so  much  upon  her  mind  as  to  deprive  her  of  her  reason. 
She  never  recovered,  and  died  in  a  few  years.  Some 
of  her  letters  have  been  preserved,  which  show  her  to 
have  been  an  amiable  woman,  naturally  of  a  cheerful  tem- 
per, and  very  far  from  having  any  ambition  to  be  a  queen. 

TABLE. 

( Henry  VIII.,  father  of  Edward  VI.,  Mary,  and  Elizabeth, 
Henry       Margaret,  married,  first,  James  IV.  of  Scotland  ;  secondly, 
the        J       Douglas  earl  of  Angus.     She  was  mother  of  James  V.  and 
Seventh's   )      of  Margaret  Douglas  ; 

children,     j  Mary,  married,  first,  Louis  XII. ;  secondly,  Brandon  duke 
V,     of  Suffolk;  and  was  mother  of  Margaret  lady  Dorset. 
Edward  VI. ; 
Mary  ; 
Elizabeth ; 

James  V.,  father  of  Mary,  queen  of  Scotland  ; 
^  Margaret  Douglas,  mother  of  Henry  Darnley,  and  of 
Charles  Stuart,  who  was  father  of  lady  Arabe  la 
Stuart ; 
Margaret  Brandon,  married .  Grey  earl  of  Dorset,  and 
was  mother  of  lady  Jane  Grey,  and  of  two  othci 
daughters. 

What  were  the  misfortunes  of  Lady  Arabella  Stuart? 
How  did  Lady  Arabella  end  her  days  ? 


Henry 

the 
Seventh's 

grand- 
children. 


ENGLISH   HISTORV  289 

CHAPTER    XXX 

CHARLES   I. 

(part  I.) 

[Years  after  Christ,  1C25--1G42.] 

Charles  was  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age  when  he 
aecended  the  throne.  His  features  were  regular,  and  he 
would  have  been  handsome,  if  it  had  not  been  for  the 
melancholy  cast  of  his  countenance.  His  deportment 
was  exceedingly  dignified.  In  the  morality  and  regularity 
of  his  conduct  he  set  a  good  example  to  his  court  and 
people  :  he  was  moderate  in  all  his  habits  and  his  expenses, 
numane  and  gentle  in  his  disposition,  was  a  man  of  kind 
affections,  and  a  most  tender  husband  and  father. 

Charles's  mind  was  cultivated,  but  he  seldom  acted  as 
wise  y  as  he  could  talk,  and  was  often  swayed  by  the 
counsels  of  men  of  far  inferior  capacity.  His  temper  was 
somewhat  hasty,  but  he  was  generous  and  forgiving.  With 
all  Charles's  good  qualities,  he  had  unfortunately  imbibed 
some  prejudices,  of  education  that  proved  fatal  to  him  as 
a  king.  He  had  too  high  an  idea  of  his  royal  prerogative 
and,  with  every  desire  to  do  right,  had  not  the  smallest 
notion  of  the  true  principles  of  government  or  policy. 

From  the  very  commencement  of  the  new  reign  much 
popular  dissatisfaction  prevailed,  chiefly  because  the  king 
surrendered  himself  entirely  to  the  control  of  Bucking- 
ham, who,  implacable  in  his  hatreds,  fickle  in  his  friend- 
ships, imperious  and  grasping  in  his  desires,  was  regarded 
with  universal  dislike. 

The  king's  marriage  with  Henrietta  Maria,  sister  to  the 
king  of  France,  was  a.so  very  displeasing  to  the  people 
principally  because  she  was  a  Papist,  and  their  religious 


What  was  the  private  character  of  Charles  I.  ? 

Was  the  conduct  of  Charles  equal  to  the  wisdom  of  his  discourse? 

Under  whose  influence  did  Charles  commence  his  reign  I 

How  did  the  English  regard  queen  Henrietta  Maria  ? 


290  ENGLISH   HIST  OR  V 

feelings  were  shocked  at  her  being  allowed  to  exercise 
publicly  her  own  form  of  worship.  She  also  offended  the 
more  serious  part  of  the  nation,  by  the  change  her  ele- 
gance and  gaiety  wrought  in  the  manners  of  the  court 
and  ths  Puritans  found  less  to  dislike  in  the  homely  vul- 
garity of  the  late  queen  Anne  of  Denmark  than  in  the 
grace  and  beauty  of  Henrietta. 

It  was  a  great  error  in  James,  and  one  into  which 
Charles  also  fell,  to  be  occupied  with  abstract  specula- 
Hens,  that  is,  with  thoughts  of  matters  which  did  not  con- 
cern his  own  business  and  duties,  and  not  to  see  what 
passed  under  his  eyes.  Thus,  while  James  was  writing 
books  on  kingly  government,  he  never  perceived  that  the 
house  of  commons  was  no  longer  that  subservient  body  it 
had  been  in  all  former  reigns,  but  that  it  had  at  last  found 
out  its  own  strength,  and  that  from  being  the  slave  of  kings 
it  was  now  able  to  be  their  ruler. 

Charles  also  had  been  equally  blind  to  this  change,  and 
was  not  aware  of  the  difficulties  which  he  was  bringing  on 
himself  by  his  rash  treatment  of  this  great  organ  of  the 
popular  voice.  The  first  year  of  his  reign  was  spent  by 
him  in  making  attempts  to  extend  his  authority,  and  by 
the  commons  in  trying  to  curb  it.  Provoked  by  this  op- 
position, Charles  hastily  dissolved  the  parliament ;  and 
thus  the  king  and  the  commons  parted  in  mutual  disgust 
and  animosity,  and,  when  the  new  parliament  assembled, 
they  met  with  feelings  of  suspicion  and  dislike. 

A  D  1  f^7  Charles,  by  the  persuasion  of  Bucking- 
ham, plunged  into  a  war  with  France, 
and  sent  some  troops  to  the  relief  of  the  French  Hugonots 
at  Rochelle.  Buckingham  had  the  command  of  this  ex- 
pedition, which  was  ill-planned  and  unskilfully  executed ; 
and  in  an  attempt  to  land  on  the  Isle  of  Rhe,  he  was  re- 
pulsed with  great  loss.  Another  expedition  for  the  relief 
of  Rochelle  was  fitted  out  in  1628,  and  Buckingham  went 
to  Portsmouth  to  survey  the  preparations. 


What  cnange  in  tlie  character  of  parliament  took  place  in  the  reigus 
of  James  and  his  son  Charles  ? 

What  conflict  arose  between  Charles  and  the  commons  of  England  I 
In  what  foreign  enterprise  did  Charles  engage  in  1627  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY"  291 

At  the  same  time  with  the  duke  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Felton  arrived  at  Portsmouth,  a  Puritan  of  a  melancholy 
and  enthusiastic  turn  of  mind,  who,  hearing  the  universal 
complaints  that  were  made  against  the  favorite,  persuaded 
himself  that  he  should  do  his  country  a  service  by  de- 
stroying him.  His  chief  motive,  however,  was  probably 
that  of  private  resentment,  at  having  been  disappointed 
in  his  own  hopes  of  promotion  in  the  army. 

Felton  for  some  days  followed  the  duke  like  his  shadow 
but  without  having  an  opportunity  to  effect  his  purpose. 
At  last,  as  Buckingham  was  passing  through  a  door-way, 
and  turning  to  speak  to  sir  Thcmas  Fryer,  who  was  fol- 
lowing him,  an  arm  was  suddenly  stretched  over  sir 
Thomas's  shoulder,  which  struck  a  knife  into  the  duke's 
breast.  All  this  passed  in  an  instant.  No  one  saw  the 
blow,  nor  the  person  who  gave  it ;  but  the  by-standers 
heard  Buckingham  exclaim,  "  The  villain  has  killed  me  !" 
and  saw  him  pull  the  knife  from  the  wound,  and  fall  dead 
at  their  feet. 

The  confusion  and  alarm  at  this  moment  were  very 
great,  and  every  one  rushed  forwards  in  search  of  the 
murderer.  He  was  rescued  with  some  difficulty  from  the 
violence  of  the  by-standers,  who  would  have  put  him  to 
death  with  their  swords.  Felton  was  afterwards  tried 
and  executed. 

After  the  death  of  Buckingham,  Charles  placed  his 
chief  confidence  in  sir  Thomas  Wentworth,  afterwards 
lord  Strafford,  and  in  Laud,  archbishop  of  Canterbury. 
The  first  was  a  man  of  great  talents  and  of  a  strong  and 
unbending  mind,  but,  unfortunately  for  himself  and  his 
master,  his  political  opinions  would  have  better  suited  the 
despotic  times  of  the  Plantagenets  than  the  reign  in  which 
he  was  placed. 

Laud's  character  was  no  less  ill  adapted  than  Strafford's 
10  reconcile  the  wavering  minds  of  those  who  were  begin- 


Who  met  Buckingham  at  Portsmouth  ? 
How  was  Buckingham  killed  ? 
What  punishment  overtook  Felton  ? 
Who  succeeded  Buckingham  in  the  favor  of  Charles  ? 
Was  Laud  zealously  attached  to  th 3  church  and  government  ofEng- 
and  ? 


292  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

ning  to  fall  off  from  the  established  church  and  govern- 
ment. He  had  an  overweening  opinion  of  his  own  dig- 
nity, and  gave  great  offence  to  the  Puritans  by  introduc- 
ing into  the  church  service  some  of  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Romish  religion.  He  was,  however,  a  man  of  eminent, 
parts,  and  of  great  zeal  in  the  king's  service. 

The  supplies  which  the  parliament  had  granted  since 
Charles's  accession  had  been  both  scanty  and  grudgingly 
given  ;  and  the  late  king,  by  his  unthrifty  management, 
had  left  the  treasury  in  such  an  exhausted  state,  that  his 
3on,  though  frugal  and  regular,  soon  found  himself  greatly 
embarrassed,  and  wanted  money  to  defray  the  necessary 
expenses  of  the  government. 

Charles  had  been  provoked,  by  the  unbending  sturdiness 
of  the  commons,  to  dissolve  the  parliament  a  second  time ; 
and  he  now  declared  a  determination  to  govern  without 
one  :  but  he  was  no  gainer  by  this  imprudent  step,  for  his 
necessities  soon  drove  him  to  procure  money  by  many 
arbitrary  and  unjustifiable  means. 

The  exactions  of  the  Star  Chamber  vvere  enforced  with 
great  severity.  A  duty  called  tonnage  and  poundage, 
which  had  been  heretofore  given  to  the  reigning  monarch 
as  an  especial  grant  from  the  parliament,  Charles  took  up- 
on himself  to  levy  on  his  own  authority.  He  also  impo- 
sed a  tax  called  ship-money,  for  the  express  purpose  of 
maintaining  the  navy.  But  though  the  money  was  em- 
ployed for  the  purpose  for  which  it  was  demanded,  and  the 
navy  put  into  a  more  serviceable  condition  than  it  had  long 
been  in,  still,  as  it  was  considered  an  illegal  tax,  the  peo- 
ple were  highly  irritated  at  its  being  levied. 

Things  were  in  this  state  in  England,  when  Charles, 
with  an  indiscreet  zeal,  tried  to  introduce  episcopacy,  with 
the  liturgy  of  the  Church  of  England  into  Scotland  :  but 
the  Scots,  instead  of  submitting  to  change  their  own  pres- 
byterian  form  of  worship,  drew  up  a  protestation,  binding 
themselves  to  resist  all  religious  innovation.  This  pro- 
testation they  called  the   Covenant,  and  every  persoa 


Were  the  finances  of  Charles  sufficient  to  defray  the  expenses  of  gov 
nrnment  ? 
Did  Charles  obtain  money  by  unpopular  and  oppressive  measuren  T 
Did  Charles  introduce  episcopacy  into  Scc'.land  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  293 

from  one  end  of  Scotland  to  the  other,  was  required  to 
sign  ft. 

A  number  of  these  covenanters  next  formed  themselves 
into  an  army,  and  placed  themselves  under  the  command 
of  the  earl  of  Argyle,  seized  on  some  of  the  king's  castles, 
and  hastily  fortified  the  town  of  Leith.  All  ranks  were  so 
much  inflamed  by  party  zeal,  that  even  ladies  were  seen 
mixing  with  the  lowest  rabble,  carrying  loads  upon  thcii 
shoulders,  and  assisting  to  complete  the  fortifications. 

The  king,  to  quell  these  disturbances,  marched  an  army 
to  Berwick,  and  negotiations  were  begun  between  him  and 
the  covenanters.  Charles's  visible  unwillingness  to  make 
his  native  land,  to  which  he  was  much  attached,  a  scene 
of  bloodshed,  only  served  to  encourage  the  Scots  in  their 
unyielding  spirit.  He  was  soon  obliged  to  disband  his 
troops  for  want  of  money  to  continue  their  pay,  and  he 
made  many  concessions  to  the  Scots  to  induce  them  to  re- 
turn to  their  homes  in  peace. 

This  the  Scots  pretended  to  do,  but  they  soon  after  ap- 
peared again  in  arms  ;  and,  in  1640,  Charles  found  him- 
self in  such  a  distressed  condition,  that,  after  an  interval 
of  eleven  years,  he  once  more  summoned  a  parliament,  in 
hopes  it  would  grant  him  some  assistance.  But,  as  soon 
as  the  commons  met,  instead  of  paying  any  attention  to 
the  king's  affairs,  it  immediately  entered  on  its  own  griev 
ances. 

This  parliament,  after  it  had  sat  only  a  few  months,  the 
king,  in  a  moment  of  irritation,  dissolved.  This  measure 
he  had  afterwards  but  too  much  reason  to  repent.  His 
necessities  were  now  so  great,  that  he  was  obliged  to  bor 
row  money  of  his  ministers  and  courtiers.  With  the 
greatest  difficulty  he  raised  a  body  of  troops,  which  he 
sent  against  the  Scots,  who  were  advanced  almost  to 
Newcastle.  The  two  armies  met  at  NeAvburn,  and 
Charles's  trooj  s  were  defeated.  He  was  thus  reduced  to 
greater  difficulties  chan  ever,  and  as  a  desperate  resource, 
once  more  summoned  a  parliament. 


What  measures  were  taken  by  the  Scotch  Covenanters  ? 
What  at  length  led  Charles  to  make  concessions  to  the  Scots  ? 
Who  summoned  a  parliament  in  1640,  and  what  were  its  measures  ? 
Why  was  parliament  dissolved  and  afterwards  summoned  by  Charles  I 


204  ENGLISH  HtSTOItY 

The  late  events  had  not  tended  to  put  the  commons  ft 
better  humor  with  the  king  or  his  ministers  ^  and  then 
first  measure  was  to  fjnpeach  Strafford,  who,  having  been 
formerly  a  Puritan,  was  more  particularly  obnoxious  to 
that  party,  one  of  whom,  Pym,  an  active  leader  in  the 
house,  had  formerly  said  to  him,  "  You  have  left  us,  but 
we  will  not  leave  you  while  your  head  is  on  your  shoul- 
ders." And  they  so  well  remembered  and  kept  their 
word,  that  he  was  brought  to  trial  and  condemned  to 
death. 

The  king,  knowing  that  Strafford's  greatest  fault  in  tho 
eyes  of  the  people  was  his  attachment  to  himself,  could 
not  at  first  bring  himself  to  assent  to  the  bill  of  attainder 
chat  was  passed  against  him,  although  the  queen  and  some 
of  his  other  advisers  besought  him  to  make  that  sacrifice 
ro  the  public  outcry.  Juxon,  bishop  of  London,  alone 
advdsed  him  by  no  means  to  assent  to  the  bill,  if  his  con- 
science did  not  approve  of  it. 

Strafford  himself  wrote  to  the  king,  entreating  him,  for 
rhe  sake  of  public  peace,  no  longer  to  defer  his  assent  to 
it,  and  ended  his  letter  ihus  : — "  My  consent  will  more 
acquit  you  to  God  than  all  the  world  can  do  besides.  To 
you  I  can  resign  the  life  of  this  world  with  all  imaginable 
cheerfulness." 

Strafford  perhaps  thought  that  this  letter  would  rather 
plead  for  his  life  than  against  it ;  and  he  seemed  greatly 
surprised,  and  for  the  moment  overcome,  when  he  was  in- 
formed that  the  king  had  actually  consented  to  his  execu- 
tion. But  he  might  have  pitied  rather  than  have  blamed 
him,  could  he  have  known  how  much  present  grief,  and 
after  remorse  he  endured,  from  allowing  his  consent  to  the 
death  of  his  fiithful  friend  and  servant  to  be  thus  extorted 
from  him. 

Charles,  tmwilling  to  give  a  personal  assent  to  the  bill 
which  deprived  him  of  his  valued  servant,  sent  a  letter  to 


By  whose  orders  was  Strafford  impeached,  tried,  and  condemned  foi 
treason  ? 

Did  Charles  readily  assent  to  the  death  of  Strafford  ? 

In  what  terms  did  Strafford  write  to  the  king  ? 

Did  Stiafford  peihaps  presume  upor.  he  king's  interference  in  Qis  b3 
naif? 


ENGLIoH  HISTORY  295 

the  peers,  entreating  them  to  confer  with  the  commons 
for  a  mitigation  of  the  sentence,  or  at  least  tc  ohtain  some 
delay.  But  the  enemies  of  Strafford  ware  inexorable, 
and  he  was  executed  May  12,  1641. 

A  little  before  Strafford's  death  it  had  beer  resolved  by 
the  parliament  to  impeach  archbishop  Laud  ,  and  he  was 
in  consequence  imprisoned  on  a  charge  of  high  treason. 
lie  was  detained  three  years  before  he  was  brought  to  trial. 
The  parliament  confiscated  his  property,  and  notwith- 
standing his  age,  he  was  treated  with  great  indignity,  and 
Ids  imprisonment  made  as  uncomfortable  as  possible. 
Even  the  papers  which  he  had  prepared  for  his  defence 
were  taken  from  him. 

While  Strafford's  fate  was  pending,  and  the  king's  mind 
was  in  a  state  of  great  agitation,  a  bill  was  brought  him, 
the  purport  of  which  was,  that  the  parliament  should  not 
be  dissolved,  prorogued,  or  adjourned,  without  its  own  con- 
sent. To  this  the  king  assented,  and  by  this  act  he  com- 
pletely fettered  himself.  The  next  use  the  parliament  made 
of  its  power  was  commendable.  It  abolished  the  oppres- 
sive court  of  the  Star  Chamber,  and  redressed  some  other 
grievances. 

A  T)  If 41  ^e  km©'  f°r  some  months  after  these 
events,  remained  quite  passive.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  year  he  began  to  occupy  himself  with  the 
affairs  of  Scotland,  and  went  there  in  hopes  to  pacify  the 
discontents  of  the  people,  by  yielding  to  all  their  wishes 
While  the  king  was  thus  employed,  a  dangerous  rebellion 
broke  out  in  Ireland,  so  that  factions,  cabils,  and  insur- 
rections, surrounded  him  at  once  on  all  sides. 

The  disturbances  in  Ireland  had  been  begun  by  Roger 
More,  an  Irish  gentleman,  whose  object  was  to  expel  the 
English  from  that  island  ;  but  the  flame  of  rebellion  being 
once  lighted,  raged  more  furiously  than  he  had  intended ; 
end  the  Irish  suddenly  rose  upon  the  unsuspecting  English 
?ad  massacred,  without  distinction  of  sex  or  age,  all  but 


Did  the  king  exert  himself  successfully  in  behalf  of  Strafford  ' 

On  what  charge  was  Laud  impeached  ? 

Did  parliament  at  this  time  enlarge  its  function  and  privileges  * 

What  events  marked  the  year  1641  in  England  ? 

What  disturbances  in  Ire.and  occurred  in  the  year  1G41  1 


296  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

the  few  who  could  take  refuge  in  Dublin.  Shocked  at 
♦hese  enormities,  and  finding  himself  unable  to  stem  the 
fury  of  the  rebellion  he  had  raised,  More  abandoned  his 
country  and  retired  into  Flanders. 

Charles,  in  this  emergency,  was  obliged  to  have  recourse 
to  the  English  parliament,  who  raised  money  and  collected 
ammunition  on  pretence  of  the  Irish  service,  but  in  fact  ktpf. 
the  whole  supply  in  reserve  at  home,  in  order  to  employ 
it  against  the  king,  in  determined  opposition  to  whose 
authority  many  parties  of  very  different  principles  were 
now  united. 

One  party  was  composed  of  men  of  moderate  views, 
who,  on  account  of  the  abuses  of  the  prerogative  which 
had  taken  place,  thought  it  necessary  to  use  strong  mea 
sures  to  check  the  encroachments  of  arbitrary  power.  The 
party  of  the  Puritans  aimed  at  more  than  this,  and  insisted 
also  on  the  destruction  of  the  hierarchy. 

Republican  principles  had  also  arisen,  which  sought  the 
overthrow  of  the  monarchy  as  well  as  the  established 
church.  Such  being  the  state  of  the  public  mind,  the  king 
soon  became  involved  in  a  labyrinth  of  trouble,  from  which 
he  knew  not  how  to  extricate  himself. 

A  D  1P42  ^  w^  ^e  imP0SSUJle  t0  enter  mt0  every 
particular  of  the  unhappy  differences  be 
tween  the  king  and  the  commons.  Each  party  becoming 
more  and  more  incensed,  and  things  being  likely  to  pro- 
ceed to  extremities,  the  king  withdrew  to  York,  taking 
with  him  his  two  eldest  sons,  Charles  and  James. 

At  York  the  chief  nobility  and  gentry  of  the  kingdom 
flocked  to  him,  offering  their  services,  and  expressing  their 
duty  and  attachment :  for,  now  that  it  was  become  an  open 
quarrel,  many  who  had  shown  a  disapprobation  of  his  for- 
mer measures  condemned  the  violence  of  the  parliament, 
and  took  part  with  the  king.  The  peers,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  lord  Essex  and  a  few  others,  adhered  to  the  king  , 
while  the  Puritans  took  the  side  of  the  parliament. 


For  what  purpose  did  par.I«ment  raise  an  army  ? 
What  were  the  views  of  the  moderate  and  of  the  puritan   parties  ;it 
this  time  ? 

Was  there  another  party  besides  those  last  mentioned  ? 
On  what  account  did  Charles  retire  to  York  ? 
Who  adhered  to  Charles  in  this  extremity  ? 


KXULISH  HISTORY  297 

The  royalists,  to  show  their  contempt  of  the  opposite 
party,  and  in  ridicule  of  the  formality  of  the  close-cropped 
hair  of  the  Puritans,  gave  them  the  name  of  roundheads ; 
while  they,  on  their  side,  gave  to  the  royalists  the  titles  61 
cavaliers  and  malignants. 

It  was  now  apparent  that  a  civil  war  was  inevitable ; 
but  each  party  hung  back  from  commencing  hostilities,  in 
the  hope  that  the  other  would  incur  the  blame  of  being 
the  first  to  draw  the  sword.  At  last,  the  king,  having  been 
refused  admittance  into  the  town  of  Hull  by  sir  John  Ho- 
tham,  the  governor,  felt  himself  driven  to  the  necessity  of 
taking  active  measures;  and,  on  August  20,  1642,  he 
erected  his  royal  standard  at  Nottingham. 


It  may  not,  however,  be  amiss  in  this  place  to  give  some 
account  of  that  memorable  parliament  which  so  ably  as- 
serted the  superior  authority  of  a  large  legislative  body 
over  the  single  will  of  an  arbitrary  monarch.  Pym  and 
Hampden  were  two  of  the  most  active  speakers  in  the 
house  ;  and  they  were,  perhaps,  the  persons  who  chiefly 
excited  the  people  against  the  king.  Hampden  was  a 
man  of  great  abilities,  of  good  private  character,  and  pro- 
bably acted  from  conscientious  motives. 

Sir  Henry  Vane  was  another  promoter  of  the  popular 
cause  :  he  was  a  man  of  quick  parts.  He  entangled  him- 
self much  in  theological  discussions,  and  belonged  to  the 
Puritan  sect.  One  of  the  most  respectable  of  the  parlia- 
mentarians was  Sir  Bulstrode  Whitelocke,  a  man  of  great 
moderation  and  integrity,  who  took  an  active  part  in  the 
politics  of  his  time,  from  thorough  conviction  that  he  was 
acting  for  the  good  of  his  country. 

Oliver  Cromwell  became  in  the  sequel  the  most  impor- 
tant man  in  the  republican  party,  but  at  the  beginning  oi 
the  civil  commotions  was  rather  a  follower  than  a  leader  ol 


What  names  were  given  in  mutual   contempt  by  parties  of  this  age  to 
each  other  ? 
When  did  Charles  erect  the  royal  standard  at  Nottingham  f 
Who  were  Hampden  and  Pym  ? 
Who  were  Vane  and  Whitelocku  T 
Who  was  Olivei  Cromwell  ? 


298  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

faction.  He  was  born  at  Huntingdon,  and  of  the  ycungei 
branch  of  a  good  family.  Cromwell  from  a  boy  was  re- 
markable for  bodily  and  intellectual  vigor.  He  first  ap< 
plied  himself  to  the  law  ;  but  it  was  too  sedentary  a  study 
to  suit  his  active  disposition.  He  then  took  a  farm  near 
St.  Ives ;  but,  turning  Puritan,  distinguished  himself 
more  as  a  preacher  and  expounder  of  Scripture,  than  as 
a  farmer. 

Cromwell  was  first  in  parliament  in  1626,  and  was  a 
warm  opposer  of  the  crown.  Finding  his  circumstances 
much  impaired,  he  agreed  with  sir  Arthur  Hazelrig, 
Hampden  and  some  other  disaffected  persons,  to  leave 
England,  and  establish  a  settlement  in  America  on  repub- 
lican principles.  They  and  their  families  were  already 
embarked  and  the  ships  were  on  the  point  of  sailing,  when 
the  king,  was  advised  to  issue  a  proclamation  forbidding 
their  departure. 

Cromwell  must  have  been  a  man  of  most  extraordinary 
powers,  to  attain  the  wonderful  influence  over  people's 
minds  which  he  seems  to  have  possessed  ;  for  he  had  none 
of  that  address  or  pleasing  exterior  which  is  generally  ne- 
cessary to  obtain  popularity.  He  was  also  a  sloven  in  his 
dress,  which  was  the  more  conspicuous  at  a  time  when 
gentlemen's  dress  was  unusually  graceful  and  becoming. 

Sir  Philip  Warwick,  a  royalist,  who  wrote  some  me- 
moirs, thus  describes  Cromwell : — "  The  first  time  that 
evei  I  took  notice  of  him  was  in  November,  1640.  When 
I  came  one  morning  to  the  house,  I  perceived  a  gentleman 
speaking,  very  ordinarily  appareled  ;  for  it  was  a  plain 
suit,  which  seemed  to  have  been  made  by  an  ill  country 
tailor.  His  linen  was  plain,  and  not  very  clean,  and  I  re- 
member a  speck  of  blood  upon  his  hand ;  his  stature  was 
of  a  good  size  ;  his  countenance  swollen  and  reddish ;  his 
voice  harsh  and  untunable,  and  his  eloquence  full  of  fer- 
vor." 

Cromwell's  appearance,  however,  was  afterwards  mi- 
proved  ;  for  the  same  sir  Philip  Warwick  says  : — "  1  lived 

What  prevented  Cromwell  from  going  to  America  ? 
Was  it  Cromwell's  extraordinary  mind  that  commanded  him  to  jjcp 
ulnr  admiration  ? 

How  does  sir  Philip  Warwick  describe  Cromwell  ? 
Did  Cromwell  become  more  dignifiui  in  his  appearance  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  299 

to  see  this  very  gentleman  by  multiplied  good  successes, 
and  by  real  (though  usurped)  power,  having  had  a  better 
tailor,  and  more  converse  amongst  good  company,  appear 
of  a  great  and  majestic  deportment,  and  comely  presence." 

The  Puritans,  when  they  became  inured  to  war,  made 
very  good  soldiers  :  their  officers  were  brave  and  deter- 
mined ;  and  the  parliament  had  as  good  generals  as  the 
king.  Lord  Essex,  and  sir  Thomas,  afterwards  lord  Fair- 
fax, had  the  chief  command  ;  they  were  both  honest  and 
well-intentioned  men,  and  began  by  seeking  to  restrain 
the  power  of  the  crown,  not  to  destroy  it.  But  they  found 
themselves  hurried  on  at  last  by  the  fever  of  the  times,  to 
adopt  measures  which  they  would  have  shrunk  from  in 
the  beginning. 

The  king's  best  generals  were  prince  Rupert,  the  king's 
nephew,  a  son  of  that  elector  palatine  who  was  so  unfortu- 
nate, and  the  marquis  of  Newcastle.  Prince  Rupert  was, 
perhaps,  in  some  respects  inferior  to  the  marquis  of  New- 
castle. Newcastle  was  a  man  of  great  powers,  as  well 
in  council  as  in  war.  His  high  character,  both  public  and 
private,  induced  many  persons  to  join  the  king's  army  ; 
and  while  he  held  the  command  of  it  the  royal  cause  pros- 
pered. Seymour,  lord  Hertford,  was  another  nobleman, 
who,  although  he  never  had  any  high  command  in  the 
army,  was  yet  a  great  accession  to  it. 

On  the  25th  of  August,  1642,  on  the  evening  of  a  very 
stormy  day,  the  king  set  up  his  royal  standard  on  the  Cas- 
tle Hill  at  Nottingham.  It  was  soon  blown  down  by  the 
violence  of  the  wind,  and  could  not  be  raised  again  for 
some  days.  This  trifling  circumstance  added  to  the 
gloom  and  sadness  felt  at  that  moment  by  all  the  king's 
friends.  Yet  many  roused  themselves  to  exertion,  and 
prepared  with  alacrity  for  the  hard  and  bloody  conflict 
which  lay  before  them. 

The  character  of  Charles  seemed  in  many  respects  to 
have  changed  with  the  times.     He  now  displayed  a  vigoi 


Did  the  Puritan  party  afford  good  soldiers  ? 
Who  were  the  king's  best  generals  ? 

Was  the  king's  army  discouraged  at  the  commencement  of  hoFtil 
ii:es  ? 
Did  Charles  seem  to  be  effected  by  the  emergency  of  his  eircnmstan 

OCtJ* 


300  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

and  address  which  astonished  those  who  knew  his  former 
btudious  and  inactive  habits.  Even  the  hastiness  of  hiy 
temper  was  abated  ;  and  he  who  had  formerly  shown  an 
extreme  impatience  of  injury  or  opposition,  now  submitted 
with  exemplary  resignation  and  cheerfulness  to  the  neces- 
sities of  his  hard  condition. 

His  greatest  difficulty  was  to  raise  money  ;  and  what  he 
could  obtain  was  chiefly  by  voluntary  contributions.  The 
queen  found  means  to  get  to  Holland  with  her  crown  and 
the  crown  jewels,  which  she  disposed  of  in  that  country  ; 
and  she  purcnased  with  the  money  thus  obtained,  a  small 
supply  of  arms  and  amunition.  This  was  sent  with  all  j 
haste  to  the  king ;  who,  mustering  his  forces,  appointed 
lord  Lindsey  general-in-chief,  and  prince  Rupert  general 
of  the  horse. 

The  parliament's  armies  were  already  in  the  field. 
Lord  Essex  commanded  in  the  south  ;  and  lord  Fairfax, 
and  his  son,  sir  Thomas,  were  generals  in  the  north. 
From  this  time,  for  the  next  six  years,  England  suffered 
all  the  horrors  of  a  civil  war.  Garrisons  were  placed  in 
all  the  towns  and  the  people  thought  of  little  else  but 
sieges  and  battles.  There  was  scarcely  any  part  of  the 
kingdom  that  was  not,  at  one  time  or  other,  the  scene  of 
some  memorable  action. 

The  first  battle  was  fought  Oct.  3d,  at  Edgehill  in  War- 
wickshire. At  the  onset  prince  Rupert  bore  down  every 
thing  before  him ;  but  before  the  day  was  ended,  his  rash 
imprudence  lost  all  that  his  courage  had  gained.  The 
two  armies,  after  fighting  all  day,  remained  under  arms 
during  the  night :  but  the  next  morning,  after  facing  each 
other  again,  they  retired  from  the  field  without  renewing 
the  fight.  The  loss  on  each  side  was  equal,  and  neither 
gained  a  victory ;  though  the  parliamentarians  considered 
themselves  as  somewhat  entitled  to  claim  it,  because  the 
king's  general,  lord  Lindsey,  was  among  the  slain. 

A    D   1 643      ^e  Sle£e  °f  Reading,  which  was  garri- 
soned for  the  king,  occupied  both  partiee 
for  many  months.     It  was  at  last  taken  by  Essex,  in  the 

How  did  the  king  obtain  money,  &o.  ? 

Who  encountered  the  king's  army,  and  for  how  many  years  was  England 
disturbed  with  this  civil  warfare  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  at  Edgehill  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  301 

month  of  April.  During  the  summer  the  royalists  were 
victorious  in  a  battle  at  Lansdown,  near  Bath ;  and  in  an- 
other fought  near  Devizes :  and  the  parliament  had  a 
great  loss  in  the  death  of  Hampden,  who  was  mortally 
wounded  in  a  skirmish  at  Chalgrave  field,  near  Oxford. 

Hampden  was  a  man  of  such  exemplary  private  charac 
ter,  that  even  his  enemies  were  concerned  at  his  death. 
The  king,  who  had  now  made  Oxford  his  head-quarters, 
was  desirous,  when  he  heard  of  his  being  wounded,  to 
send  his  own  surgeon  to  attend  him :  but  in  the  interim 
Hampden  died. 

In  reading  the  history  of  Charles  I.  it  is  necessary  to 
discriminate  between  the  virtues  of  the  man  and  those  pro- 
per to  a  king,  and  to  remember  that  good  dispositions  do 
not  make  the  wise  ruler  of  a  great  people.  "A  man  who 
will  not  hurt  a  fly  will  sometimes  hurt  a  nation,"  says  an 
able  writer,  Charles  was  such  a  man.  He  was  doubtless 
amiable  and  humane,  but  he  believed  that  nations  ought 
to  obey  kings,  because  he  thought  kings  had  what  he 
called  a  divine  right,  that  is,  that  God  appointed  them  to 
rule. 

The  opposers  of  Charles's  arbitrary  measures  believed 
that  the  welfare  of  the  nation  was  more  important  than  the 
will,  or  pleasure  of  a  king;  that  laws  ought  to  govern  the 
sovereign  as  well  as  the  people  ;  and  that  representatives 
of  the  people  assembled  in  parliament  ought  to  make  the 
laws  for  the  people,  and  give  their  sanction  to  the  king's 
projects,  instead  of  blindly  obeying  his  commands. 

To  maintain  these  principles,  not  then  generally  ac- 
knowledged in  Europe,  there  were  brave  and  virtuous  men 
in  England  ready  to  hazard  their  fortunes  and  lives;  such 
a  one  was  Mr.  Hamplen.  He  was  a  man  of  good  ed- 
ucation, and  considerable  property,  and  an  example  ol 
every  virtue.  "  He  was,"  says  the  historian,  Lord  Clar 
endon,  H  of  a  most  civil  and  affable  deportment,  his  reputa 


What  were  the  actions  of  the  spring  and  summer,  1643  ? 

Did  the  king  and  the  royal  party  show  any  generous  feeling  at  the  death 
if  John  Hampden  ? 

Does  mere  humanity  make  a  good  king? 

What  notions  were  entertained  by  the  patriot  party  concerning  the 
Tights  of  kings? 

What  was  lo-'d  Clarendon's  character  of  John  Hampden  * 


302  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

lion  for  hunesty  was  universal,  and  his  affections  secmei 
so  guided  towards  the  public  good  that  no  private  end* 
could  lead  them  astray." 

Mr.  Hampden  was  very  temperate  in  diet,  and  the  su- 
preme governor  over  all  his  passions  ;  he  was  of  an  in- 
dustry and  vigilance  not  to  be  tired  out ;  of  an  understand- 
ing not  to  be  imposed  upon;  and  of  a  courage  equal  to  his 
other  qualities.  Such  was  Hampden's  moral  courage  that 
he  dared  at  his  own  cost  to  question  the  right  of  the  king 
to  ship  money,  and  brought  the  question  before  the  courts 
of  law. 

This  tax  was  known  to  be  illegal ; — indeed  there  was 
nothing  which  the  people  of  England  had  for  more  than 
four  hundred  years  better  known,  or  more  strenuously  in- 
sisted upon  than  this — that  the  king  had  no  right  to  lay  a 
tax  without  the  consent  of  parliament.  But  the  judges  be- 
fore whom  this  violation  of  the  laws  was  carried  to  obtain, 
if  possible,  a  decision  that  might  thoroughly  expose  it  to 
the  nation,  decided  that  the  king  had  a  right,  by  his  own 
royal  authority  to  levy  this  tax  or  any  other  that  he  might 
think  needful. 

From  that  time  Hampden's  resolution  to  oppose  trie 
king,  and  all  supporters  of  arbitrary  principles  and  meas- 
ures became  more  inflexible.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
civil  war  he  undertook  the  command  of  a  regiment  iji  the 
parliamentary  army,  and  performed  his  duty  faithfully  till 
he  was  wounded  in  the  battle  of  Chalgrave  Field.  He 
survived  three  weeks,  and  then  gave  up  a  Lfe  he  had  de- 
voted to  the  caus?  of  civil  liberty. 


In  the  beginning  of  the  war,  the  royal  army,  which  was 
chiefly  composed  of  well-trained  soldiers,  under  the  com- 
mand of  officers  who  had  many  of  them  been  accustomed 
to  deeds  of  arms  in  the  wars  on  the  continent,  commonly 
proved  successful  over  the  undisciplined  forces  of  the  par* 


What  great  proof  of  moral  courage  did  Mr.  Hampden  exhibit  ? 
Did  the  English  nation  allow  their  king  i  to  levy  taxes  ? 
What  induced  Mr.  Hampden  to  take  up  arms,  and  how  did  he  die 
Were  the  royal  or  the  parliamentary  troops  most  successful  ? 


ENGLISH   HtSTOftY  303 

liament.  But  as  these  gained  skill  and  experience,  they 
became  superior  to  an}'  troops  that  the  king  coidd  bring 
into  the  rield  ;  for  every  man  of  them  was  actuated  by 
religious  and  political  zeal,  and  entered  willir  gly  into  the 
service. 

Charles,  during  the  course  of  hostilities,  was  often  obliged 
to  enlist  almost  any  soldiers  he  could  get,  and  amongst 
them  many  dissolute  soldiers  of  fortune,  who  ridiculed  the 
Puritans,  and  expressed  their  contempt  for  them,  not  by 
setting  a  better  example  of  what  was  right,  but  by  showing 
themselves  to  be  deriders  of  all  religion  and  virtue. 

Nothing  was  so  ruinous  to  the  king's  affairs  as  the  con- 
duct of  these  men,  who  committed  all  kinds  of  violence 
and  excess.  And  the  country  people  naturally  liked  that 
party  best  by  which  they  were  most  humanely  treated. 
Charles  also,  in  his  necessities,  was  glad  to  accept  of  the 
services  of  many  Papists ;  and  this  was  enough  of  itsell 
to  raise  a  great  prejudice  against  his  cause. 

The  war  was  now  prosecuted  with  great  vigor,  and  se- 
veral battles  were  fought,  with  nearly  equal  success,  in 
different  parts  of  the  kingdom.  The  parliament,  finding 
it  less  easy  than  they  had  at  first  expected  to  crush  the 
king,  called  in  the  aid  of  the  Scots,  and  entered  into  what 
was  entitled  a  solemn  league  and  covenant  with  them. 

The  Scots  gladly  accepted  the  terms  of  friendly  alliance 
offered  by  the  English  parliament,  in  the  hope  of  being 
able,  by  thus  connecting  themselves  with  the  Puritans,  to 
overthrow  the  church  establishment  in  England,  and  to  set 
up  their  own  Presbyterian  form  of  worship  in  its  place. 

The  king's  supplies  being  gathered  from  the  free-will 
offerings  of  his  loyal  subjects,  were  much  more  scanty 
than  those  of  the  parliament,  who,  having  in  their  hands 
the  power  of  levying  taxes,  used  it  without  reserve. 
They  also  impressed  soldiers,  and  these  means  enabled 
Iheiiij  under  continual  defeats,  to  bring  fresh  troops  into 


Were  mnny  dissolute  persons  engaged  in  the  royal  cause  ? 
What  effect  had  unworthy  adherents  upon  the  interest  of  Charles 
Whom  did  the  parliament  army  call  to  their  aid  i 
What  motive  influenced  the  Scots  to  take  part  with  the  English  p>u 
liament  ? 

What  particular  advantage  had  the  parliament  over  the  king  ? 


304  RNGL1SH  HISTORY. 

the  field.     But  it  was  not  till  the  summer  1044  that  ilie} 
gained  any  decisive  victory. 

It  happened  that  the  marquis  of  Newcastle  was  ther 
besieged  in  York  by  sir  Thomas  Fairfax.  Prince  Rupert 
came  to  the  relief  of  the  town,  and,  rejecting  the  advice  oi 
the  marquis  to  wait  for  a  more  advantageous  time,  rashly 
led  his  forces  against  the  besiegers.  The  two  armies  met 
at  Marston  Moor,  about  nine  miles  from  York.  Each 
party  by  turns  had  the  advantage  ;  but  in  the  end,  after  a 
hard-fought  battle,  victory  declared  for  the  side  of  the  par- 
liament. 

In  the  west  of  England,  where  Charles  himself  conducted 
his  army  in  person,  the  campaign  proved  more  favorable 
to  him.  He  pursued  Essex  into  Cornwall,  where  the  peo- 
ple were  highly  zealous  for  the  royal  cause,  and  obliged 
nearly  his  whole  army  to  capitulate.  But  this  success 
availed  but  little  to  counterbalance  the  defeat  at  Marston 
Moor. 

Meanwhile,  the  queen,  who  had  returned  to  England, 
and  had  been  with  the  king  for  some  time  at  Oxford,  be- 
lieved herself  in  danger  from  the  great  dislike  with  which 
she  knew  herself  to  be  regarded  by  the  people.  She  there- 
fore retired  to  Exeter,  where  her  younges",  child,  the 
princess  Henrietta,  was  born  ;  and  leaving  her  there,  es- 
caped into  France. 

A  T)  1 644.  During  the  winter,  Chailes  remained  at 
Oxford.  Though  there  was  not  peace, 
there  was  at  least  a  cessation  of  arms,  and  the  country  had 
rest  for  some  months.  In  this  interval  a  treaty  was  begun 
between  the  king  and  the  parliament,  called  the  treaty  ol 
Uxb ridge  ;  bU  as  the  parliament  was  rigid  in  its  demands, 
and  the  king,  perhaps,  not  altogether  sincere  in  his  con 
cessions,  it  only  ended  in  making  both  parties  more  dis- 
trustful, and  more  inveterate  against  each  other. 

A  growing  diversity  of  opinion,  both  in  matters  of  poli 
tics  and  of  religion,  had  for  some  time  shown  itself  in  the 
parliament ;  and  a  religious  party  now  arose  of  men  who 


Which  army  was  victorious  at  the  battle  of  Marston  Moor 
Was  Charles  as  unfortunate  as  his  generals? 
What  became  of  the  queen  during  the  war  ? 
What  were  the  events  of  the  winter  of  1644  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  305 

called  themselves  Independants,  who  rejected  all  qualifying 
measures  that  were  proposed  for  the  establishment  of  a 
limited  monarchy,  and  declared  themselves  openly  for  a 
republic. 


Cromwell  was  the  chief  leader  of  the  Independents  :  he 
had  greatly  distinguished  himself  as  a  soldier  and  a  gene- 
ral, and  it  was  chiefly  owing  to  him  that  the  parliament's 
army  had  been  at  last  so  well  disciplined  and  organized. 
Lord  Essex,  and  many  others,  who  had  originally  joined 
the  parliament  from  an  honest  wish  to  redress  grievances, 
and  had  been  insensibly  led  on  farther  than  they  had  in- 
tended were  now  anxious  to  make  an  accommodation  with 
the  king. 

These  men  were  overruled  by  the  Independents  ;  and 
Cromwell  contrived  by  an  act  of  parliament  called  the  self- 
denying  ordinance,  to  make  Essex  and  many  other  generals 
resign  their  commissions.  Cromwell  also  obtained  that 
sir  Thomas,  now  lord  Fairfax,  should  be  appointed  gene- 
ral of  the  army,  and  himself  his  lieutenant-general. 

On  the  return  of  spring,  the  two  armies  were  again  in 
motion,  and  many  gallant  deeds  were  performed  on  both 
sides.  Scotland  also  had  a  share  in  the  contest.  A  body 
of  royalists  was  raised  in  that  country  by  a  young  and  gal- 
lant hero,  the  earl,  afterwards  marquis  of  Montrose,  who 
performed  many  brave  actions,  but  was  defeated,  after  a 
short  and  brilliant  career,  and  obliged  to  retire  amongst 
his  native  mountains. 

The  king's  affairs  went  now  fast  to  ruin  ;  and  he  lost, 
one  after  the  other,  almost  all  the  towns  he  had  garrisoned. 
He  himself  fled  into  Wales,  and  afterwards  to  Oxford, 
where  he  passed  the  winter. 

Seeing  his  condition  desperate,  and  dreading  above  all 
ihings  to  be  made  prisoner  by  the  now  triumphant  parli.v 


What  party  division  showed  itself  in  the  parliament  ? 
Who  was  the  chief  leader  of  the  Independents  ? 
By  what  measures  did  Cromwell  obtain  the  chief  command  of  the 
army  1 

What  part   did  Montrose  take  in  Scotland  ? 
Where  did  Charles  spr-nd  the  winter  of  1045  1 

u 


S06  F.NGLISH  HISTORY. 

ment,  formed  the  unfortunate  resolution  of  throwing  him 
self  into  the  hands  of  the  Scots. 

A  D  Itf4f  -^e  accor^no^y  set  out  fr°m  Oxford,  and 
arrived  on  May  the  5th  at  the  Scottish 
camp  before  Newark.  The  Scottish  generals  were  much 
surprised  at  the  appearance  of  the  king  ;  and  though  they 
affected  to  treat  him  with  respect,  they  put  a  guard  upon 
dim,  and  made  him  in  reality  their  prisoner. 

The  Scots  having  now  the  king  in  their  hands,  required 
of  him  to  send  orders  to  the  governors  of  Newark,  Oxford, 
and  all  his  other  garrisons,  to  surrender.  This  he  did, 
and  the  soldiers  and  officers  all  received  honorable  treat- 
ment from  Fairfax. 

As  soon  as  the  parliament  knew  that  Charles  was  in  the 
hands  of  the  Scots,  it  began  to  treat  with  them  for  the  pos- 
session of  his  person.  The  Scots,  after  some  delays  and 
hesitation,  agreed,  on  condition  of  receiving  400,000/.,  the 
arrears  of  their  pay  due  from  the  parliament,  to  give  up 
the  king. 

A  T^  fi47  -^  Priyate  letterj  communicating  the  in- 
'  formation  01  tms  disgraceful  bargain,  was 
brought  to  Charles  while  he  was  playing  at  chess  ;  and  his 
self-command  was  so  great  that  he  continued  his  game, 
without  betraying  by  his  countenance  or  manner  that  he 
had  received  any  distressing  news.  In  a  few  days  he  was 
given  up  to  the  English  commissioners,  who  were  sent  by 
the  parliament  to  take  him  into  their  custody ;  and  he  was 
conveyed,  in  the  month  of  February,  to  Holmby,  in  North- 
amptonshire, one  of  his  own  royal  residences. 

After  the  king  had  been  at  Holmby  some  weeks,  Crom 
well  formed  the  design  of  carrying  him  thence  by  force, 
and  sent  comet  Joyce,  with  500  men,  to  seize  him.  Joyce 
came  armed  witn  pistols  into  the  king's  presence,  and 
told  him  he  must  come  along  with  him. 


What  disposed  Charles  to  trust  himself  to  the  Scots  ? 
Where  did  Charles  surrender  himself  to  the  Scot3  ? 
What  did  the  Scots  demand  of  Charles  ? 
What  conditions  did  the  Scots  make  with  the  parliament  ? 
Was  the  conduct  honorable  ?  (Ans.  the  pupils  own  judgment. 
How  did  Charleq  receive  the  intilligence  that  he  v  as  s;iven  r.n  to  his 
enemies? 

Who  removed  Char*es  from  Hoimby  ? 


ENGLISH  HIST0R1  307 

The  king  asked  Joyce  what  warrant  he  acted,  he  an- 
swered by  pointing  to  his  soldiers,  who  were  a  fine  body 
of  men,  drawn  up  in  the  court-yard.  The  king  said,  smi- 
ling, "  Your  warrant  is  indeed  written  in  fair  characters 
and  legible ;"  and,  knowing  that  resistance  would  be  in 
vain,  immediately  consented  to  accompany  him,  and  was 
carried  to  the  head- quarters  of  the  army  at  Triplo  Heath, 
in  Cambridgeshire. 

The  breach  between  the  army  an  1  the  parliament  now 
came  to  an  open  rupture,  and  colonel  Rainsborough  march- 
ed to  London,  and  completely  reduced  both  the  parliament 
and  the  city  under  the  authority  of  Cromwell,  who  wa3 
become  the  acknowledged  chief  of  his  party.  The  king, 
meanwhile,  remained  with  the  army,  and  was  far  more 
comfortably  situated  than  he  had  before  been  when  under 
the  rigorous  confinement  to  which  he  had  been  subjected 
by  the  parliament,  or  under  the  insincere  protection  of  the 
Scots.  He  was  allowed  to  correspond  with  the  queen  ; 
his  friends  and  his  chaplains  were  suffered  to  return  to 
him  and  he  was  permitted  the  use  of  the  Liturgy  and  the 
service  of  the  church. 

A  D  1P47  I"  l^e  autumn  the  king  was  brought  to 
"  Hampton  Court,  and  was  allowed  to  live 
there  with  some  appearance  of  freedom.  Having  been  at 
all  times  much  beloved  by  his  friends,  he  now,  in  his  ad- 
versity became  an  object  of  respect  even  to  his  enemies. 
He  retained  all  his  former  grace  and  dignity  of  manner,  and 
had  acquired  a  very  winning  gentleness  and  cheerfulness. 
His  temper,  instead  of  being  ruined  by  affliction,  was 
calmed  and  moderated  It  seemed  as  if  he  had  ceased  to 
struggle  with  misfortunes,  and  piously  resigned  himself  to 
the  will  of  God. 

While  Charles  was  with  the  army,  he  was  allowed  to 
see  two  of  his  children,  Henry  and  Elizabeth,  who  were 
under  the  care  of  lord  Northumberland.  At  one  time  they 
were  brought  to  him  at  Caversham  :  another  time  he  was 
permitted  to  spend  a  day  with  them  at  Sion  House,  where 
lord  Northumberland  lived. 

Did  Cnaries  resist  Joyce  ? 

Was  Charles  treated  with  humanity  oy  the  army  ? 

How  did  Charles  sustain  adversity  ? 

Was  Charles  perrritted  to  see  his  ch'Ydreu  1 


308  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

The  king  had  also  during  this  year  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  his  second  son,  the  duke  of  York.  The  duke  soon 
after  made  his  escape  to  Holland,  where  his  elder  brothei, 
the  prince  of  Wales,  had  been  sent  some  time  before. 
Mary,  the  king's  eldest  daughter,  had  been  married  to  the 
prince  of  Orange  before  the  breaking  out  of  the  civil  war, 
and  the  little  princess  Henrietta  was  still  at  Exeter. 

An  attempt  was  made,  while  the  king  was  at  Hampton 
Court,  to  renew  the  firmer  treaties  which  had  been  set  on 
foot  between  him  and  the  parliament :  but  the  terms  of  ac- 
commodation insisted  on  were  such  as  the  king  would  not 
accept,  the  Puritans  strenuously  insisting  on  the  abolition 
of  episcopacy,  and  the  king  as  firmly  contending  for  its 
support. 

The  Puritans  were  divided  into  a  multitude  of  sects,  and 
in  the  present  interval  of  quiet,  the  soldiers  employed  them- 
selves in  religious  discussions  ;  and  many  of  them  set  up 
as  preachers  and  expounders  of  Scripture.  Charles,  hav- 
ing been  told  that  some  of  these  entertained  designs 
against  him,  took  a  sudden  alarm,  and  privately,  with 
three  attendants,  left  Hampton  Court,  with  the  intention  ol 
flying  abroad. 

Charles  reached  the  coast  of  Hampshire ;  but  not  finding 
there  the  vessel  he  expected,  he  concealed  himself  for  a 
short  time  at  Tichfield,  the  house  of  the  dowager  lady 
Southampton.  Here  one  of  his  attendants  persuaded  him 
to  put  himself  in  the  hands  of  colonel  Hammond,  the  gov- 
ernor of  the  Isle  of  Wight.  Thus  he  prepared  for  himself 
a  closer  prison  than  any  that  his  enemies  had  yet  found  foT 
him 


A    T)    1  r»47      '^ie  k*nS  entered  the  Isle  of  Wight,  Nov 

13      For  a.  short  time  he  was  persuaded 

by  Cromwell  into  &  icnewal  of  the  former  treaty;  but  on 


Where  were  four  of  the  king's  children  at  this  time  ? 
Did  church  affairs  prevent  any   reconciliation  between   the  king  and 
the  parliament  ? 

What  disposed  Cha.;les  to  fly  from  Hampton  court  ? 
Into  whose  hands  did  the  k'ng  commit  himself  I 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  309 

refusing  to  accede  to  the  terms  demanded,  he  Mas  place  J 
in  close  ounnnement  in  Cariebrook  Castle.  His  situation 
was  now  very  melancholy.  All  his  attendants  were  dis- 
missed, except  Herbert  and  Harrington,  men  who  had 
formerly  been  greatly  prejudiced  against  him ;  but  whc 
now  had  become  faithfully  attached  to  him,  and  would 
willingly  have  sacrificed  their  lives  in  his  service. 

Colonel  Hammond  oehaved  with  great  compassion  to 
wards  his  royal  prisoner,  and  allowed  him  every  indul- 
gence in  his  power.  A  part  of  the  day  the  king  constantly 
set  aside  for  his  devotions,  and  he  spent  much  of  his  time 
alone  writing  in  his  bed  chamber.  The  rest  of  the  day  he 
employed  in  reading,  in  exercise,  and  in  conversing  with 
his  two  attendants,  who  were  both  of  them  accomplished 
men,  particularly  Mr.  Herbert,  who  had  travelled  much  in 
Persia,  and  other  countnes  of  the  East. 

A  D  If 48  *n  ^ie  monta  °f  September,  Charles  en- 
tered into  a  new  treaty  with  commission- 
ers sent  by  the  parliament,  which  had,  for  a  time,  regained 
some  of  its  authority.  Newport  was  chosen  for  the  place 
of  conference  ;  and  Charles  left  his  prison,  where  he  had 
now  passed  ten  dismal  months,  and  took  up  his  residence 
m  Newport,  at  the  house  of  a  private  gentleman. 

When  the  king  met  the  commissioners,  an  affecting 
change  was  perceived  to  have  taken  place  in  his  aspect 
since  the  preceding  year.  His  countenance  was  pale  and 
dejected  ;  his  hair  wa3  turned  white,  and  it  brought  tears 
into  the  eyes  of  the  spectators  to  see  his  "  grey  and  dis- 
crowned head." 

While  the  conference  was  going  on,  the  king  had  per- 
mission to  take  the  exercise  of  riding.  He  gave  his  word 
of  honor  not  to  quit  the  island,  but  he  was  so  slenderly 
guarded,  that  it  almost  appeared  as  if  the  parliament  wish- 
ed him  to  seize  some  opportunity  of  making  his  escape. 
This  he  was  importuned  to  do  by  his  friends,  who  were 
now  allowed  to  have  access  to  him  ;  but  he  rejected  theii 


What  was  Charles's  situation  at  C&risbrook  Castle  ? 

How  did  Charles  employ  himself? 

On  what  account  was  Charles  removed  to  Newport? 

D'd  confinement  produce  upon  Charles  some  of  the  efTectn  of  age  ? 

Did  Charles  scrupulously  keep  his  word  ? 


310  ENGLISH   HISTORV. 

advice,  saying,  he  would  not  break  the  piomise  he  had 
p;iven. 

The  treaty  consisted  of  several  articles,  to  all  of  which, 
though  tending  to  the  abridgment  of  his  prerogatives,  the 
King  agreed,  two  only  excepted,  one  of  which  was  for  the 
abolition  of  episcopacy,  and  the  other  that  all  who  had 
taken  up  arms  in  his  cause  should  be  declared  traitors. 
After  further  debate,  the  king  agreed  to  some  modification 
in  regard  to  episcopacy  ;  but  nothing  could  induce  him  to 
consent  to  the  last  article. 

While  the  treaty  between  the  king  and  the  parliament 
seemed  thus  drawing  towards  a  favorable  conclusion, 
Cromwell,  by  one  daring  act,  annihilated  the  whole  power 
of  the  parliament,  and  destroyed  all  Charles's  hopes  of 
peace  and  security.  He  sent  colonel  Pride,  with  a  body 
of  troops  to  surround  the  parliament-house,  a  little  before 
the  time  when  the  members  were  to  assemble,  with  orders 
to  permit  those  only  to  enter  who  belonged  to  the  inde- 
pendent and  republican  party,  and  to  exclude  all  the  rest: 
and  this  he  called  "  purging  the  parliament."  The  mem- 
bers admitted,  who  were  between  fifty  and  sixty  in  num- 
ber, immediately  elected  themselves  governors  of  the  king- 
dom, and  declared  the  treaty  then  pending  with  the  king 
null  and  illegal. 

The  king,  two  days  before  this  attack  upon  the  house 
of  commons  by  colonel  Pride,  had  been  once  more  seized 
by  Cromwell's  orders,  and  was  removed  from  the  Isle  of 
VVight  to  a  dreary  fortress  called  Hurst  Castle,  which  was 
situated  on  the  coast  of  Hampshire  and  was  nearly  sur- 
rounded by  the  sea  at  high  tide. 

One  night  in  the  month  of  December,  the  king  was 
waked  out  of  his  sleep  by  hearing  the  draw-bridge  of  the 
castle  let  down  ;  and  soon  after  he  heard  the  clatter  oi 
horsemen  in  the  court.  At  first  he  was  much  agitated  ; 
and  when  Mr.  Herbert,  whom  he  sent  to  inquire  the 
cause  of  this  noise,  told  him  that  major  Harrison  had 


To  what  articles  of  treaty  did  the  king  refuse  consent  ? 
Who  annihilated  parliament  for  the  time,  and  who  usurped  its  po\* 
ers  ? 

Why  was  Charles  removed  to  Hurst  Castle  ? 

What  circumstance  alarmed  the  king,  one  night  at  Hurst  Castle  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  31  t 

arrived,  he  was  the  more  alarmed,  because  no  had  some 
time  before  been  warned  that  this  Harrison  was  one  ol 
those  who  harbored  the  design  to  assassinate  him. 

At  length,  however,  after  spending  some  time  in  prayer 
he  recovered  his  composure  ;  and,  having  risen  and  dress- 
ed, he  tranquilly  awaited  the  event.  He  was  soon  inform- 
ed that  the  purport  of  the  major's  coming  was  to  convey 
him  to  Windsor ;  and  he  was  glad  to  leave  Hurst  Castle 
even  under  such  an  escort. 

Charles  was  four  days  on  the  road  to  Windsor,  and  du- 
ring the  journey  received  from  all  ranks  of  people  many 
proofs  of  sympathy  and  respect,  which  greatly  cheered 
him,  but  which  were  very  displeasing  to  the  governing 
faction.  At  Windsor,  the  king,  though  kept  under  great 
restraint,  and  though  but  few  people  were  permitted  to 
have  access  to  him,  was  treated  with  civility. 

A  D  1649  All  things  being  now  prepared  for  the 
fatal  catastrophe,  the  king,  on  the  6th  ol 
January,  was  impeached  of  high  treason  for  having  pre- 
sumed to  appear  in  arms  against  the  parliament.  When 
he  was  informed  that  he  must  prepare  for  his  trial,  he  said 
little,  but  was  heard  uttering  to  himself — "  God  is  every 
where  alike  in  wisdom,  power,  and  goodness."  He  then 
retired  to  his  apartment,  and  spent  some  time  alone  and  in 
prayer. 

On  the  1 8th  of  January,  Charles  was  removed  from 
Windsor  to  St.  James's  palace  ;  and  his  guards  and  atten- 
dants were  ordered  to  treat  him  as  no  longer  possessed  of 
royal  dignity,  and  to  call  him  merely  Charles  Stuart. 
His  own  attendants  were  forbidden  to  wait  on  him  at  table, 
and  the  common  soldiers  were  appointed  to  bring  him  his 
meals.  Charles  was  much  shocked  at  this  mark  of  disre- 
spect ;  but  soon  recovering  his  composure,  he  merely  said, 
••  Nothir  g  is  so  contemptible  ss  a  despised  king." 

The  preparations  for  the  trial  were  soon  made.     Crom 


Who  conveyed  Charles  to  Windsor  ? 

How  was  Charles  treated  on  his  passage  to  Windsor,  and  after  his  ar 
l  ivr\\  there  ? 

Upon  what  charge  was  Charlos  impeached  Jan.  6th,  1049? 

What  indignities  were  put  upon  Charles  at  St  James's  ? 

Was  this  treatment  honorable  and  htimane  ?     (Ans.  pupils  own  jiid% 

/Kilt.) 


312  ENGLISH  HISTOI?  i. 

well  declared  in  a  speech  in  parliament,  that  had  any  man 
voluntarily  proposed  to  bring  the  king  to  punishment,  he 
should  have  regarded  that  man  as  the  greatest  traitor ; 
but,  added  he,  "  Providence  and  necessity  hath  cast  i\ 
upon  us." 

On  the  20th  of  January  the  king's  judges,  who  were 
the  persons  called  governors  of  the  kingdom,  assembled 
!n  Westminster  Hall.  Charles  was  brought  three  several 
days  before  the  court  which  his  accusers  had  created  to 
try  him,  and  each  time  refused  to  acknowledge  its  jurisdic- 
tion. On  the  last  of  these  days,  January  27th,  he  was  pro 
nounced  guilty  of  having  appeared  in  arms  against  the 
parliament,  and  was  condemned  to  be  beheaded  on  the 
third  day  after. 

When  he  had  returned  to  his  apartment  at  St.  James's 
he  retired  into  his  room  with  Dr.  Juxon,  and  told  Mr.  Her- 
bert to  refuse  admittance  to  all  persons  coming  to  take 
leave  of  him ;  adding,  "  My  time  is  short  and  precious, 
and  I  am  desirous  to  improve  it  the  best  I  may  in  prepara- 
tion. I  hope  those  who  love  me  will  not  take  it  ill  that 
they  have  not  access  to  me.  The  best  office  they  can 
now  do  me  is  to  pray  for  me  " 

A  D  1  f  49  ^  scofTold  was  erected  in  front  of  the  pa- 
lace at  Whitehall,  and  on  January  30,  he 
was  brought  there,  attended  by  Juxon  and  Herbert ;  but 
tne  latter  was  so  much  overwhelmed  with  grief,  that  the 
whole  melancholy  office  of  assisting  the  king  in  his  last 
moments  devolved  on  the  aged  bishop. 

On  the  scaffold,  the  king  spoke  a  few  words :  he  de- 
clared himself  innocent  towards  his  people,  doubtless  he 
thought  himself  so — but  acknowledged  himself  guilty  in 
the  sight  of  God  ;  and  that  the  consent  which  he  had  once 
given  to  the  execution  of  an  unjust  sentence  was  now 
deservedly  punished  by  an  unjust  sentence  inflicted  on 
himself. — So  heavily  did  the  death  of  Strafford  still  press 
upon  his  heart. 


When  and  where  was  sentence  of  death  pronounced  upon  Charles  ? 
How  did  Charles  sustain  himself  in  his  last  hours  ? 
Under  what  circumstances  was  Charles  beneaded  ? 
Though  Charles  w*is  not  a  politic  prince,  does  it  appear  that  ho  wm  a 
pood  man  in  other  relations  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  313 

Juxon  then  assisted  him  to  unrobe.  An  executioner 
whose  face  was  concealed  by  a  mask,  then  struck  off  his 
head,  and  holding  it  up,  said,  "  This  is  the  head  of  a 
traitor !"  This  bloody  spectacle  seemed  to  cause  a  sud- 
len  revulsion  in  the  minds  of  all  the  spectators,  who  felt 
as  much  surprised  and  shocked  as  if  the  catastrophe  they 
witnessed  had  been  unexpected. 

Charles  was  in  the  forty-ninth  year  of  his  age,  and  the 
twenty-fifth  of  his  reign.  He  married  HenrieUa  Maria, 
daughter  of  Henry  IV.,  king  of  France.  Their  children 
were  three  sons  and  three  daughters 


CHAPTER    XXXI 

THE  COMMONWEALTH. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1649—1660.] 

The  first  act  of  that  small  body  of  men  who  chose  to 
call  themselves  a  parliament,  was  to  abolish  the  house  of 
peers  as  being  useless  and  dangerous.  A  new  great  seal 
of  England  was  made,  the  legend  or  inscription,  round 
which  was,  "  The  first  year  of  freedom  by  God's  blessing 
restored  1648."  All  loyalists  were  treated  with  great  se- 
verity, and  it  was  made  high  treason  to  call  the  prince  of 
Wales  by  any  name  but  that  of  Charles  Stuart.  The 
forms  of  all  public  business  were  altered,  and  the  new 
legislators  gave  to  their  government  the  name  of  The 
Commonwealth  of  England. 

A  D  1  f  49  Cromwell  went  as  lord  lieutenant  to  Ire- 
land, where  he  found  every  thing  in  a 
very  distracted  state:  but  in  a  few  months  he  restored  or 
der  in  the  island.  He  then  left  his  son-in-law,  general 
Ir  2ton,  as  his  deputy,  the  affairs  of  Scotland  calling  for  his 
presence  in  that  country. 


Did  the  spectacle  of  Charles  s  execution   distress  those  who  witness- 
ed it  ? 

What  was  Charles's  family  ? 

What  were  the  first  measures  of  the  Commonwealth  1 

How  did  Croa  well  administer  affaits  in  Ireland? 


314  ENGLISH  H.STORI. 

The  Scottish  Presbyterians  had  refused  to  acknowledge 
the  English  republic ;  and,  resolving  to  adhere  to  the  mo- 
narchy, had  proclaimed  prince  Charles  their  king ;  and 
sent  to  invite  him  to  come  and  take  possession  of  the 
throne  ;  but  on  such  hard  conditions,  that  those  who  were 
his  best  friends  counselled  him  not  to  make  such  sacrifices 
for  the  empty  title  of  king. 

Charles,  who  entertained,  probably,  the  dishonest  inten- 
xion  of  breaking  through  these  conditions  whenever  he 
should  be  able,  agreed  to  them,  and  returned  with  the 
commissioners.  He  was  not  suffered  to  set  his  foot  on 
Scottish  ground  till  he  had  signed  the  covenant :  and  the 
moment  he  was  on  shore,  he  was  beset  by  the  Covenanters, 
who  strove  to  convert  him  to  their  own  opinions. 

He  now  found  himself  in  a  very  comfortless  situation. 
The  Presbyterians  kept  the  entire  administration  both  of 
church  and  state  in  their  own  hands,  and  though  they  al- 
lowed him  the  name  of  king,  they  did  not  treat  him  even 
with  the  respect  due  to  a  superior.  They  paid  so  little  re- 
gard to  his  feelings,  that  they  obliged  him  to  pass  undei 
the  gates  of  Aberdeen,  over  which  was  hung  one  of  the 
limbs  of  his  faithful  friend  and  servant,  the  marquis  cf 
Montrose,  who  had  a  little  before  been  put  to  death  for 
appearing  in  arms  in  his  cause. 

Under  these  circumstances,  Charles  secretly  rejoiced  on 
finding  that  Cromwell  was  on  his  march  to  Scotland  with 
a  powerful  army  for  the  purpose  of  driving  him  from  his 
uneasy  throne.  The  Scottish  army,  commanded  by  gene- 
ral Leslie,  attacked  Cromwell  near  Dunbar,  and  was 
completely  beaten,  with  great  loss  ;  and  Cromwell  would 
soon  have  been  entire  master  of  the  kingdom,  had  he  not 
been  attacked  with  a  fit  of  illness,  and  been  obliged  to 
r  3turn  to  England.     * 

A    D    1651       Cromwell  again  entered   Scotland,  and 

marched  so  far  into  the  country  as  to  get 

behind  'he  army  of  the  Covenanters.     Charles,  who  was 

with  the  army,  which  consisted  of  14,000  men,  seeing  the 


Did  the  Scots  proclaim  prince  Charles  king  ? 
Who  received  Charles  In  Scotland  ? 
How  was  Charles  treated  in  Scotland  ? 
TilC  Cromwell  lead  an  army  against  Charles  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  315 

road  to  the  English  border  thus  opened  to  him,  formed  the 
bold  resolution  of  marching  forwards  into  England,  falsely 
presuming,  that  all  who  were  discontented  with  the  Corn 
mon wealth  would  flock  to  his  standard. 

Charles  marched  forwards,  in  hopes  at  last  to  gathei 
strength  ;  but  he  arrived  at  Worcester  with  only  his  14,000 
Scots.  Here  he  halted,  and  had  a  few  days'  rest  after  his 
iong  and  fatiguing  march.  In  the  meantime,  Cromwell, 
when  he  found  that  the  king  had  slipped  by  him,  left  the 
command  of  the  Scottish  war  to  general  Monk,  and  fol- 
lowed Charles  with  all  possible  expedition. 

Cromwell  raising  the  militia  of  the  several  counties  as 
he  passed,  so  that  by  the  time  he  reached  Worcester  he 
mustered  a  considerable  force.  The  n'.xt  day,  Sept.  4, 
1651,  he  surrounded  the  town  with  his  'toops,  and,  falling 
on  the  royal  army,  soon  destroyed  it,  the  very  streets  be- 
ing filled  with  dead  bodies. 

Charles  after  making  a  desperate  resistance,  was  at 
last  obliged  to  fly  with  fifty  or  sixty  gentlemen  in  his  com- 
pany. They  rode  about  twenty-six  miles  without  stop- 
ping. It  was  then  thought  advisable  for  them  to  separate. 
Charles,  by  the  advice  of  lord  Derby,  went  to  a  lone  house 
on  the  borders  of  Staffordshire,  inhabited  by  a  man  of  the 
name  of  Penderell,  who  with  five  brothers,  were  wood-cut 
ters  in  the  neighboring  wood  of  Boscobel. 

Charles  committed  himself  to  the  care  of  these  men, 
who  showed  themselves  worthy  of  the  confidence  placed 
in  them ;  for,  though  a  high  reward  was  offered  to  any 
one  who  would  deliver  up  the  prince,  and  it  was  declared 
certain  death  to  conceal  him,  these  honest  rustics  would 
not  betray  him. 

On  one  occasion,  fearing  to  be  discovered  by  a  party  oi 
soldiers  who  were  searching  the  wood,  Charles  hid  himseli 
in  a  large  oak  tree  ;  from  amongst  the  branches  of  which 
he  could  hear  the  soldiers  say,  they  wondered  where  he 


What  army  adhered  to  Charles,  and  what  expectations  were  forrr>f>t!  In 
Charles?  p  \ 

Where  did  Charles  halt  in  his  march  to  England  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  Worcester  ? 
Where  did  Charles  take  refuge  in  his  flight  from  Worcester  ? 
Did  the  protectois  of  Charles  exhibit  integrity  and  generosity  ? 
How  dil  Charles  once  conceal  himself  from  h  s  enemies  ? 


316  ENGLISH  H  STORY. 

could  be,  for  they  were  sure  lie  was  son.ewhele  in  the 
wood. 

Charles  was  wandering  about  not  less  than  six  weeks, 
from  the  time  of  the  battle  of  Worcester  without  being 
able  to  get  out  of  the  country  ;  and  the  risks  he  ran  of  dis- 
covery were  very  great.  At  last  he  arrived  at  a  lone  house, 
between  Shoreham  and  Brighthelmstone,  and  found  means 
to  cross  the  water. 

While  Charles  was  thus  wandering  about,  the  party  in 
power  had  been  going  on  triumphantly.  Tl.e  victory  at 
Worcester  they  chose  to  call  their  "  crowning  mercy." 
Monk  had  been  successful  in  Scotland  ;  Ireton  kept  every 
thing  quiet  in  Ireland  ;  and  the  government,  elated  by  suc- 
cess, soon  showed  a  desire  to  lord  it  over  foreign  states  ; 
and  in  1652,  declared  war  against  the  Dutch. 

Holland  was  at  that  time  regarded  as  the  most  consider- 
able maritime  power  in  Europe,  and  was  supposed  to 
excel  all  other  states  in  the  art  of  ship-building,  and  in  the 
skill  of  her  seamen.  But  now  the  English  navy,  which 
the  late  king  had  paid  great  attention  to,  and  which  was 
manned  by  sailors  whom  the  circumstances  of  the  time 
had  made  bold  and  hardy,  was  found  a  match  for  that  01 
Holland  ;  and  admiral  Blake  was  several  times  the  victor 
in  engagements  with  the  Dutch  admirals,  Van  Tromp,  de 
Ruyter,  and  de  Witt. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  success  an  ignominious  fall  was 
preparing  for  that  comparatively  inconsiderable  band  01 
men,  who  still  called  themselves  a  parliament.  Cromwell, 
who  now  thought  it  time  to  drive  them  from  the  high  sta- 
tion which  he  had  suffered  them  to  occupy,  went,  on 
April  20,  1653,  to  the  parliament  house,  while  the  mem- 
bers were  assembled,  and  placing  a  file  of  soldiers  at  each 
door,  entered  the  hall,  saying,  "  that  he  was  come  with  a 
purpose  of  doing  what  grieved  him  to  the  very  soul,  and 
what  he  had  earnestly  besought  the  Lord  not  to  impose 
upon  him ;  but  that  there  was  a  necessity  for  it." 

Ho  next  sat  down  and  heard  the  debates,   and  then 


Did  Charles  escape  to  the  continent  ? 
How  did  the  existing  government  of  England  proceed  ? 
What  was  the  naval  power  of  Holland  and  of  England  1052 
Did  Cromwell  disperse  the  republican  parliament  ( 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  SI  7 

suddenly  starting  up,  he  exclaimed  :  "  This  is  the  time,  I 
must  do  it."  Turning  to  the  members  he  loaded  them  with 
every  term  of  reproach,  and  called  them  tyrants,  oppres- 
sors, and  public  robbers.  At  last  he  stamped  with  his  foot, 
on  which  signal  the  soldiers  entering  the  hall,  he  ordered 
them  to  drive  all  the  members  out. 

As  the  members  took  their  compulsory  departure,  Crom- 
well said  to  them,  "  "You  are  no  longer  a  parliament  *  the 
Lord  has  done  with  you  ;  he  has  chosen  other  instruments 
for  carrying  on  his  work."  He  then  staid  till  the  hall  was 
empty  ;  then  ordering  the  doors  to  be  locked,  he  put  the 
keys  into  his  pocket,  and  returned  to  the  palace  at  White- 
hall, where  he  and  his  family  had  taken  up  their  residence. 

Cromwell  was  now  the  sole  head  of  the  government, 
and  no  one  attempted  to  dispute  his  power.  To  keep  up  the 
appearance  of  a  Commonwealth,  he  summoned  a  parlia- 
ment who  set  themselves  to  work  to  settle  the  affairs  of  the 
state.  They  considered  the  clerical  office  as  being  alto- 
gether a  remnant  of  popery,  and  proposed  that  there  should 
be  no  more  clergy.  The  common  law  they  deemed  a  badge 
of  Norman  slavery,  and  were  desirous  to  set  it  aside 
They  also  voted  that  learning  was  heathenish,  and  the 
universities  unnecessary. 

This  parliament  had  the  name  given  it  of  Barebone's 
parliament,  from  the  name  of  one  of  its  chief  orators.  At 
last,  the  measures  of  the  parliament  became  so  utterly  ab- 
surd, that  Cromwell  became  ashamed  of  it,  and  suffered 
one  only  of  their  many  proposed  changes  and  regulations 
to  be  carried  into  effect.  This  one  was  in  regard  to  the 
marriage  ceremony,  which  was  declared  to  be  a  mere  civil 
contract,  and  was  appointed  to  be  performed  for  the  future 
in  private  rooms,  before  a  magistrate,  instead  of  being  sol- 
emnized in  churches. 

Cromwell  had  at  this  time  the  title  of  Protector  confei- 
red  on  him.  The  mass  of  the  people  were  so  tired  of  the 
tyranny  and  oppression  of  the  parliament,  that  they  were 


How  did  Cromwell  attack  the  parliament '( 
How  did  Cromwell  justify  this  proceeding  ? 

What  absurd  practices   and    notions   were  urged  by  Cromwell's  par- 
liament ? 

Did  Cromwell  fall  in  with  the  measures  of  this  parliament  ? 


SI 8  2.NGLISH  HISTORY 

thankful  to  get  rid  of  their  many  masters,  and  to  cnjo} 
anything  like  a  settled  government.  And  Cromwell,  though 
he  trampled  on  the  laws  of  the  country,  would  suffer  no 
other  person  but  himself  to  do  so.  He  enforced  justice 
and  civil  order,  and  made  his  government  respected  at  home 
and  feared  abroad. 

Cromwell  kept  up  the  power  of  the  navy,  and  soon 
obliged  the  Dutch  to  sue  /or  peace.  He  attacked  the  Spa- 
niards because  they  interrupted  the  English  in  their  traffic 
with  Spanish  America,  and  took  from  them  the  island  of 
Jamaica  in  the  West  Indies,  which  is  still  retained  by  the 
English.  The  protectorship  was  not  only  confirmed  to 
Cromwell  for  life,  but  was  also  settled  on  whomsoever  he 
should  choose  to  appoint  after  his  death. 

This  proceeding  alarmed  both  the  republicans  and  the 
royalists,  who  began  to  fear  that  a  power  so  well  esta- 
blished would  become  permament,  to  the  destruction  of  their 
different  hopes.  In  1655,  a  plan  was  formed  for  a  general 
rising  amongst  the  royalists.  But  Cromwell  and  his  sec- 
retary, Thurloe,  had  full  information  of  their  designs,  and 
before  the  appointed  day  of  insurrection,  many  of  the  roy- 
alists were  taken  up  ;  some  were  punished  with  death,  and 
several  others  were  sold  for  slaves,  and  sent  to  Barbadoes. 
This  despotic  act  struck  terror  throughout  the  whole  na- 
tion ;  and  no  other  considerable  attempt  was  made  to 
overturn  the  protector's  power. 

Cromwell's  government  of  Ireland  was  equally  vigor- 
ous. Fleetwood,  who  had  married  his  eldest  daughter 
(Iretou's  widow,)  was  his  deputy,  and  carried  many  of  his 
arbitrary  measures  into  effect.  Fleetwood  was  succeeded 
by  the  protector's  second  son,  Henry,  a  young  man  of  great 
abilities,  and  extraordinary  goodness,  who,  pitying  the  con- 
dition of  the  Irish,  did  all  he  could  to  improve  it. 

Cromwell,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  was  under  a  con- 
tinual dread  of  being  secretly  murdered.  And  though  he 
had  often  braved  danger  in  battle  with  intrepidity,  he  now 
betrayed  a  more  than  common  fear  of  death ;  and  every 

How  did  Cromwell  make  himself  acceptable  to  the  nation  7 

Was  Cromwell  an  able  politician? 

How  did  Cromwell  treat  the  royalists  who  plotted  against  him  ? 

Did  Fleetwood  and  Henry  Cromwell  govern  Ireland  ? 

What  disturbed  the  tranquility  of  Cromwell  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  319 

moment  of  his  life  was  made  miserable  by  the  sppiehen* 
sion  of  losing  it.  In  addition  to  these  terrors,  he  had 
many  causes  of  mortification  in  his  own  family. 

Richard,  Cromwell's  eldest  son,  whom  he  meant  for  his 
successor,  was  a  man  of  inferior  talents  and  of  no  ambi- 
tion. Henry  Cromwell  was  a  man  of  abilities,  but  had  too 
much  virtue  to  be  willing  to  follow  his  father's  footsteps. 
Cromwell's  other  daughters  were  zealous  royalists  ;  and 
Mrs.  Claypole,  the  one  whom  he  loved  best  of  all  his  chil- 
dren, represented  to  him,  when  on  her  death-bed,  and  in 
terms  which  filled  him  with  grief,  her  disapprobation  jf  the 
conduct  which  he  had  pursued.  From  that  time  he  was 
never  seen  to  smile. 

Cromwell's  exertions  and  agitations  were  too  great  for 
his  bodily  frame  to  support.  He  found  the  exalted  state  tc 
which  he  had  attained,  a  burden  too  heavy  to  be  borne  , 
and  died,  a  worn  out  old  man,  on  September  3,  1658,  in 
the  59th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  buried  with  royal 
pomp  in  Westminster  Abbey. 

Cromwell's  character  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary 
in  history.  His  talents  were,  in  some  respects,  of  the 
very  highest  order.  In  others,  he  was  strikingly  defi- 
cient. His  government  of  Ireland;  the  manner  in  which 
he  treated  Holland  and  Spain,  thus  vindicating  the  inde- 
pendence and  naval  power  of  England,  are  undoubted 
proofs  of  the  energy  of  his  mind,  and  the  wisdom  of  his 
policy. 

Richard  Cromwell  was  proclaimed  protector  in  his  fa- 
ther's place.  But  the  nation  soon  found  the  difference  be- 
tween the  strong  hand  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  the  feeble- 
ness of  his  son,  and  showed  a  disposition  to  cast  oil  his 
authority.  But  Richard  quietly  resigning  a  dignity  which 
lie  had  neither  the  power  nor  the  inclination  to  keep, 
wisely  saved  himself  from  being  dispossessed  by  violence 
He  held  the  protectorship  only  a  few  months. 

Henry  Cromwell  also  resigned  his  command  in  Ireland 


Pid  Cromwell's  children  resemble  their  father  ? 

When  did  Cromwell  die? 

What  was  Cromwell's  character  ? 

Did  Richard  Cromwell  succeed  to  his  father? 

Dii1  Henry  Cromwell  enjoy  a  public  station  ? 


320  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

though  his  popularity  in  that  country  was  very  great,  and 
he  might  have  retained  his  power  there  if  he  had  chosen 
to  do  so  ;  but  like  his  brother  he  preferred  the  tranquility 
of  a  private  station  to  all  the  dangerous  and  uncertain  en« 
joyments  of  ambition. 

The  country  was  now  without  any  apparent  ruler,  and 
was  split  into  a  variety  of  factions.  The  republicans  hoped 
to  establish  their  long  desired  form  of  popular  government 
and  the  royalists  in  their  turn  were  full  of  expectations 
and  projects. 

Charles,  meantime,  on  hearing  of  what  was  passing  in 
England,  left  the  Low  Countries,  where  he  had  for  some 
time  past  taken  refuge,  and  came  to  Calais,  where  he  staid, 
awaiting  the  event.  For  some  time  their  seemed  little 
chance  of  any  turn  in  his  favor  ;  but,  at  last,  what  the 
efforts  of  his  friends  could  not  do,  the  rivalry  of  his  ene- 
mies brought  about. 

Lambert  and  Monk  had  long  hated  each  other  ;  and 
Monk,  partly  perhaps  to  disappoint  Lambert,  who  was  se- 
cretly ambitious  of  the  protectorship,  formed  the  design  of 
cringing  back  the  king,  and  entered  into  a  correspondence 
with  him.  But  he  kept  his  intentions  so  well  concealed 
that  he  appeared  to  be  only  acting  for  the  restoration  of  the 
parliament. 

Monk  collected  several  scattered  regiments  in  Scotland, 
and  marched  directly  into  England.  Lambert  set  forward 
to  meet  him,  but  found  himself  deserted  by  his  own  sol- 
diers ;  and  the  parliament,  being  no  longer  held  in  terror 
by  the  troops,  assumed  once  more  the  reigns  of  government 
arrested  Lambert,  and  committed  him  to  the  Tower. 

Monk  and  his  army  soon  reached  London.  He  appeared 
at  first  to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  parliament ; 
but  in  a  few  days  he  openly  avowed  his  contempt  of  that 
obtrusive  body  of  men,  and  declared  for  a  free  parliament, 
he  called  together  all  the  surviving  members  of  tho  old 
or  long  parliament,  who  had  hp.*».n  expel"  ed  by  colon*  I  Pride 


Was  England  divided  into  factions  aftei  th*  death  of  Cromwell  ? 
How  did  Charles  regard  the  death  of  Cromwell  { 
Who  formed  a  project  to  restore  the  monarchy  ? 
How  did  Monk  proceed  to  effect  the  restoration  T 
What  measures  were  taken  in  r3SDect  of  parliament ' 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  321 

in  1648.  They  met  on  February  21,  1660,  and  m  ^  few 
days  formally  dissolved  themselves,  and  issued  writs  for  a 
new  parliament,  which  assembled  April  25. 

On  the  1st  of  May,  Monk,  having  every  thing  ripe  f3i 
his  project,  ventured  to  propose  to  parliament  the  restora- 
tion of  the  king.  It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  joy  with 
which  this  proposal  was  heard — a  joy  which  soon  spread 
from  the  house  to  the  city,  and  from  thence  through  the 
whole  country.  The  peers,  from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
hastened  to  reinstate  themselves  in  their  parliamentary 
rights  :  and  on  the  8th  of  May,  Charles  II.  was  proclaimed 
king,  and  a  committee  of  gentlemen  was  sent  to  invite  ftirn 
to  return  and  take  possession  of  his  dominions. 

The  king  sailed  from  Scheveling,  a  small  village  on  the 
coast  of  Holland,  and  was  met  at  Dover  by  general  Monk 
who  conducted  him  to  London,  which  he  entered,  amidst 
the  joyful  acclamations  of  the  people,  May  29,  1660. 


In  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth  the  business  ol  bank 
ing  was  first  practised.  Before  the  civil  war,  the  Mint 
in  the  Tower  was  the  usual  place  of  deposit  for  money  ; 
but  after  the  commencement  of  the  disturbances,  the  pri 
vate  property  of  individuals  was  no  longer  thought  safe  in 
the  Mint,  and  the  goldsmiths  were  employed  by  the  rich 
merchants  and  tradesmen  to  take  care  of  their  money  foi 
them,  and  thus  the  goldsmiths  became  the  first  bankers. 

Episcopacy  had  been  abolished  by  the  parliament  du- 
ring the  war.  In  the  time  of  the  Commonwealth,  most  of 
the  loyal  and  orthodox  clergy  were  dispossessed  of  their 
livings,  and  allowed  small  pensions  ;  and,  instead  of  regu- 
lar clergy,  itinerant  preachers  were  employed,  who  rode 
about  the  country  to  teach  the  people  doctrines. 

Charles  ihe  First  appointed  a  post  to  carry  letters  once 
a  week  between   London  and  Edinburgh.     The  system 


Was  the  return  of  Charles  to  England  acceptab  e  to  tne  nation  I 
"When  did  Charles  enter  London  1 
When  was  banking  first  practised  in  England  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  the  English  church  during  the  existence  of  the 
rommonwealth  1 
When  were  mails  first  put  in  operation  in  Britain? 


322  ENGLISH  HISIORY 

was  afterwards  much  extended  and  improved  during  t he- 
Common  wealth  :  and  the  privilege  of  franking  was  then 
first  allowed  to  the  members  of  the  house  of  commons. 
This  was  confirmed  to  them  by  Charles  II.,  who  extended 
the  privilege  to  the  peers  also.  Franking  is  the  privilege 
of  certain  persons  to  send  letters  by  mail,  free  of  expense. 
Newspapers  were  first  circulated  in  England  in  the 
reign  of  queen  Elizabeth,  in  order  to  apprize  the  country 
of  the  defeat  of  the  Spanish  armada.  After  this  occasion 
had  passed  by,  they  were  discontinued  for  many  years. 
The  date  commonly  assigned  to  their  first  publication  in 
Engl  md  is  that  of  the  year  1642 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

CHARLES  II. 
fYea;^  after  Christ,  1060—1685.1 


CIIARLES  II.  AND  HIS  QUEEN. 


Charles  was  thirty  years  old,  when,  after  sixteen  years 
exile,  he  was  so  unexpectedly  placed  on  the  throne  of  his 
ancestors.     He  rr^d  a  good  figure,  and  though  his  features 

When  were  newspapers  first  circulated  in  England  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  323 

were  harsh,  there  was  something  agreeable  ir  his  counte- 
nance ;  and  his  cheerful,  easy,  and  graceful  deportment, 
made  him  altogether  a  very  engaging  person.  He  had  a 
great  deal  of  shrewdness  and  wit ;  and  with  common  ap- 
plication, might  have  been  any  thing  he  pleased.  But  he 
loved  amusement,  and  hated  business,  and  to  live  idly  and 
merrilv  was  all  he  cared  for. 

The  king  began  his  reign  by  forming  a  ministry  from 
amongst  the  best  and  wisest  men  of  all  parties,  and  he 
gave  general  satisfaction  by  the  choice  he  made.  An  act  of 
indemnity,  or  of  general  pardon,  was  then  passed  towards 
all  those  who  had  taken  part  against  the  crown,  excepting 
only  the  judges  who  had  sat  on  the  late  king's  trial,  and 
all  those  wrho  had  in  any  other  way  been  immediately  ac- 
cessary to  his  death.  About  sixty  persons  had  been  con- 
cerned in  that  act.  Of  these  many  were  dead,  and  others 
had  left  the  kingdom. 

Of  those  who  could  be  brought  to  trial,  ten  only  were 
executed :  the  rest  were  reprieved  and  placed  in  different 
prisons.  Harrison,  who  had  conducted  Charles  I.  from 
Hurst  Castle,  was  amongst  those  who  suffered.  He  died 
justifying  his  conduct  to  the  last.  Hugh  Peters  also  was 
executed.  He  had  been  one  of  Cromwell's  fanatical 
preachers,  and  had  not  only  been  very  active  in  stirring 
up  the  minds  of  the  people  against  the  king  ;  but  also,  it 
was  supposed,  was  one  of  the  masked  executioners  who 
beheaded  him. 

General  Lambert,  and  sir  Henry  Vane,  though  they 
were  not  absolutely  regicides,  were  yet  thought  too  guilty 
to  be  included  in  the  act  of  indemnity.  Vane  was  exe- 
cuted :  Lambert  was  reprieved,  and  exiled  to  the  island  01 
Guernsey,  where  he  lived  thirty  years,  and  from  being  a 
rigid  Puritan,  became  a  Roman  Catholic. 

This  act  of  retribution  being  performed,  the  ministry  ap- 
plied themselves  to  the  business  of  the  state.  The  chancel- 
lor, lord  Clarendon,  who  had  attended  the  king  during  his 
exile,  had  the  chief  weight  in  the  council,  and  by  his  inte- 


What  were  the  personal  qualities  of  Charles  II.  ? 
How  did  Charles  begin  his  reign  ? 
Who  of  the  late  king's  enemies  were  punished  1 
What  became  of  Lambert  and  Vane  ? 


324  ENGLISH  H1ST011Y. 

grity  and  wisdc.m  the  government  was  carried  on  for  a  time 
with  justice  and  moderation.  The  old  standing  army  of 
the  republicans  was  disbanded  :  the  king  retained  only  a 
few  guards  and  garrisons  ;  and  most  of  the  fortified  places 
that  had  not  oeen  destroyed  in  the  civil  wars  were  die- 
mantled. 

Episcopacy  was  restored ;  nine  of  the  old  bishops,  who 
still  survived,  were  replaced  in  their  sees,  and  all  the  ejected 
clergy  returned  to  their  livings.  The  Presbyterians  saw 
these  measures  with  dissatisfaction  ;  but  ?.n  insurrection  of 
one  of  the  sects  among  the  repulicans  give  the  ministry 
a  pretext  to  insist  on  the  restoration  of  the  church  without 
any  modifications.  An  act  of  uniformity  was  passed, 
which  required  the  assent  of  all  the  clergy  to  several  articles 
very  obnoxious  to  the  Presbyterians.  Those  who  refused  to 
sign  these  articles  were  disabled  from  holding  their  livings , 
and,  in  consequence,  two  thousand  of  them  were  deprived. 

The  Scots  had  joyfully  seen  the  restoration  of  the  kingly 
authority  ;  but  when  Charles  proceeded  to  settle  the  affairs 
of  that  country,  he  found  the  people  altogether  averse  to  re- 
ceive the  hierarchy,  which  he  was  exceedingly  desirous  to 
establish  amongst  them,  perhaps  the  more  desirous,  be- 
cause, in  spite  of  his  naturally  careless  temper,  he  could 
not  have  forgotten  the  indignities  and  insults  which  the 
spiritual  pride  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterians  had  made  him 
suffer  when  he  had  formerly  been  amongst  them. 

Charles  won  over  Sharp,  a  Presbyterian  leader,  to  ac- 
cept the  archbishopric  of  St.  Andrews.  Sharp  was  a  vin- 
dictive and  bigoted  man,  whose  conduct  only  exasperated 
the  people  more  against  episcopacy.  He  wTas  at  last  assas- 
sinated by  a  zealous  fanatic  of  the  name  of  Balfour  of  Bur- 
ley  ;  who,  with  a  small  party  of  men,  chanced  to  meet 
him,  as  he  was  traveling  with  his  daughter,  dragged  him 
out  of  his  carriage  and  murdered  him.  This  brutal  assas- 
sination put  an  entire  stop  to  the  attempt  to  introduce  epis- 
copacy into  the  Scotch  church. 


Who  was  made  Chancellor,  and  how  was  the  army  regulated  1 

How  were  church  affairs  regulated  ? 

Were  Charles's  measures  in  regard  to  religion  acceptable  in  Scotland  ? 

How  did  Charles  become  unpopular  in  Scotland  ? 

What  stopped  the  introduction  of  episcopacy  in  Scotland  \ 


KNOLISH  HISTORY.  325 

r»   irro      Cha/les  married  Catharine  of  JJragmza, 

A.  D.  lt>t>3,  daUghter  of  the  king  of  Portugal.  The 
new  queen  had  been  educated  in  a  convent,  and  was  very 
formal  and  grave  :  she  rejected  the  company  of  the  Eng- 
lish ladies,  and  would  only  have  about  her  a  set  of  old 
solemn  Spanish  duennas.  The  king  found  her  and  hei 
court  so  dull,  that  he  neglected  her  society,  and  spent 
most  of  his  time  with  idle  and  dissolute  companions,  and 
unprincipled  women. 

A  D  lfiPd  Charles  entered  into  a  war  with  Holland, 
'  which  afterwards  led  to  a  rupture  with 
France  and  Denmark.  This  war  was  carrieel  on  wholly 
oy  sea ;  and  the  king's  brother,  James,  duke  of  York,  an 
active,  enterprising  man,  commanded  the  fleet.  Many  well- 
contested  actions  were  fought,  and  many  fruitless  victories 
gained.  One  of  these  engagements  lasted  four  days,  and 
is  among  the  mos'  memorable  which  are  recorded  in  his- 
tory. 

The  Dutch  fleet  consisted  of  seventy-six  ships,  and  was 
commanded  by  the  famous  De  Ruyter,  and  by  Van  Tromp, 
son  of  the  great  Van  Tromp.  The  English  fleet  was 
commanded  by  prince  Rupert,  and  by  Monk,  then  duke  of 
Albemarle,  and  altogether  was  nearly  equal  to  the  Dutch. 
The  detail  of  the  different  engagements  of  the  four  days, 
would  be  little  instructive.  On  the  last  day  neither  party 
had  gained  the  victory. 

The  two  fleets  then  retired  to  their  harbors,  but  met  again 
June  25th,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Thames,  when  the  English 
obtained  a  decisive  victory.  De  Ruyter,  indignant  at  being 
obliged  to  fly,  frequently  exclaimed,  "O  God,  amongst  so 
many  thousand  bullets,  is  there  not  one  to  put  an  end  to 
my  miserable  life  !"  The  English  were  now  incontestably 
masters  of  the  sea ;  but  they  had  been  visited  at  home  dur- 
ing this  year  ly  so  many  calamities,  that  they  had  no  spi- 
rits to  rejoice  in  any  triumphs  over  a  foreign  foe. 

In  the  preceding  autumn  a  most  violent  plague  hud 
broken  out,  particularly  in  London.  There,  in  a  short 
time,  ninety  thousand  persons  are  said  to  have  died  cf  that 


Whu  was  Charles's  que^n,  -\rul  what  was  his  domestic  character? 
"What  circumstances  culled  for'h  ihe  talent?  of  Jarr^s,  duke  of  York  ? 
VV'Ur  weie  the  commanders  in  the  naval  battle  of  1666  ? 


326  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

malady.  W'jLg  London  was  still  suffering  under  this  ca- 
lamity, it  was  assailed  also  by  another.  On  the  3d  of  Sep- 
tember, 1666,  a  fire  broke  out  near  London  Bridge,  which 
spread  with  such  rapidity  that  thirteen  thousand  houses 
were  burnt  down. 

These  dreadful  scenes  were  not  withont  some  good 
effect  on  the  king's  disposition,  and  detached  him  for  a 
while  from  the  idle  and  dissolute  habits  he  had  sunk  into ; 
but  his  vicious  companions  soon  got  about  him,  and  rallied 
him  out  of  all  his  good  resolutions  ;  and  he  relapsed  into 
his  former  way  of  life. 

These  vicious  companions,  the  chief  of  whom  was  the 
duke  of  Buckingham,  had  long  meditated  the  overthrow  ol 
lord  Clarendon,  whose  integrity  made  him  the  particular 
object  of  their  dislike.  It  happened  that  the  Dutch  fleet 
sailed  up  the  Medway,  and  destroyed  some  ships  in  the 
harbor  at  Chatham.  A  peace  was  made  with  Holland  soon 
afterwards.  Buckingham  and  his  party  found  means  of 
turning  both  this  peace  itself,  and  also  the  disgrace  at 
Chatham,  to  the  panicular  discredit  of  Clarendon,  insinu- 
ating that  the  latter  could  not  have  taken  place,  unless  he 
had  been  negligent  of  the  public  security. 

Charles,  who  had  little  gratitude  in  his  nature,  forgetting 
how  faithfully  this  great  statesman  had  served  him  in  all 
his  wanderings  and  necessities,  and  how  much  his  wisdom 
had  contributed  to  strengthen  him  on  the  throne,  was  not 
sorry  to  have  a  pretext  for  removing  a  man  who  was  some 
check  upon  his  vices.  Clarendon  was,  therefore,  im- 
peached on  various  frivolous  pretences,  and  was  sentenced 
to  banishment. 

Clarendon  retired  into  France,  and  employed  tne  re 
mainder  of  his  life  chiefly  in  composing  his  History  of  the 
Rebellion,  and  also  in  writing  an  account  of  his  own  life 
His  youngest  daughter,  Anne  Hyde,  married  the  duke  ol 
York  soon  after  the  restoration.  She  died  young,  leaving 
two  children,  the  princesses  Mary  and  Anne. 


Were  the  plague  and  the  fire  of  London  great  calamities  ? 
Did  the  public  calamities  at  all  affect  the  king  ? 
Who  assailed  the  reputation  of  lord  Clarendon  ? 
How  did  Charles  treat  Clarendon  ? 
Where  did  Clarendon  end  his  days  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  327 

After  Clarendon's  disgrace,  prince  Rupert,  the  duke  of 
Ormond,  sir  Orlando  Bridgman,  and  other  men  of  expe- 
rience and  high  character,  had  for  a  time  the  chief  weight 
in  the  council.  But  in  1670  their  influence  declined,  and 
the  king,  whose  carelessness  about  public  affairs  daily  in- 
creased, committed  the  entire  management  of  the  stale  to 
five  of  the  most  unprincipled  men  in  the  kingdom,  Clifford., 
Ashley,  Buckingham,  Arlington,  and  Lauderdale,  who 
were  called  the  Cabal,  from  the  first  letters  of  their  names. 

One  of  the  nefarious  measures  of  this  administration  was 
to  shut  up  the  exchequer,  and  to  take  possession  of  the  mo- 
ney which  private  individuals  had  placed  in  it.  Another 
and  a  still  more  generally  unpopular  measure,  was  that  oi 
entering  into  a  new  war  with  the  Dutch,  in  order  to  gra- 
tify Louis  XIV.,  one  of  the  most  ambitious,  vain-glorit  us, 
and  unprincipled  kings  that  ever  reigned. 

Charles  at  first  hesitated  to  take  such  an  unpopular 
step  :  but  he  was,  at  length,  persuaded  into  it  by  his  sister 
Henrietta,  duchess  of  Orleans,  who  was  sent  on  a  visit  to 
him  by  the  French  king.  It  is  even  said  that  the  restora- 
tion of  popery  in  England,  was  made  an  article  of  a  secret 
treaty  between  the  two  kings.  Charles,  if  he  had  any  re- 
ligion at.  all,  was  in  his  heart  a  Papist ;  and  the  duke  oi 
York  was  a  professed  one. 

The  French  and  English  fleets  now  joined  each  other. 
As  they  were  at  anchor  in  Solebay,  De  Ruyter  came  unex- 
pectedly upon  them.  The  duke  of  York  commanded  in 
chief,  in  the  action  between  the  Dutch  and  the  combined 
fleets,  and  had  his  ship  so  shattered  that  he  was  obliged  to 
remove  his  flag  on  board  another.  The  battle  lasted  the 
whole  day,  and  De  Ruyter  declared  that,  of  the  thirty-two 
actions  he  had  been  in,  this  was  the  hardest  fought.  The 
English  and  Dutch  lost  many  ships  and  neither  party 
gained  any  thing.  The  French  took  care  to  keep  aloof 
luring  the  engagement. 

Another  memorable  naval  action  was  fought  on  Augimt 


Who  were  the  Cabal  ? 

Did  the  English  government  at  this  time  engage  in  the  interest*  of 
Fiance  t 

What  was  the  influence  of  the  king's  brother  and  sister  over  him  f 
How  did  the  naval  battle  of  Solebay  terminate  1 


328  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

11,  1673.  The  English  fleet  was  commanded  by  prince 
Rupert,  the  Dutch  by  Do  Ruyter.  In  this  battle  too,  as  in 
many  of  the  former,  nothing  was  gained  by  either  party. 

A  Ti  1  fi74  ^y  tne  °^eatn  °f  Clifford,  and  the  disgrace 
of  Ashley,  who  had  been  created  lord 
Shaftesbury,  the  cabal  was  broken  up.  More  honest  min- 
isters came  into  place,  and  wiser  measures  were  pursued 
One  of  these  measures  was  to  make  peace  with  Holland- 
but  Charles  still  kept  up  with  France  a  secret  alliance  on 
the  most  dishonorable  terms.  He  received  privately  from 
Louis  XIV.  an  annual  pension  of  two  millions  of  livres, 
as  the  price  of  his  supporting  the  French  interest  in  hits 
own  court. 

Charles  and  his  parliament  were  generally  on  bad  terms. 
In  1678  the  parliament,  which  had  sat  seventeen  years, 
was  dissolved.  It  had  assembled  in  all  the  intoxication  of 
joy,  loyalty,  and  hope,  which  it  was  natural  to  feel  on  the 
king's  restoration  ;  and  it  separated  with  feelings  of  severe 
disappointment  at  his  utter  want  of  principle. 

The  following  year  another  parliament  was  summoned, 
in  which  great  struggles  were  made  to  exclude  the  duke  of 
York,  on  account  of  his  religion,  from  the  succession,  and 
to  settle  the  crown,  after  the  death  of  Charles,  who  had  no 
legitimate  children,  on  the  duke's  eldest  daughter  Mary 
who  was  now  married  to  the  prince  of  Orange.  But  this 
bill  of  exclusion  could  not  be  carried. 

In  this  parliament  the  liberty  of  the  subject  was  mate- 
rially secured  by  the  passing  of  what  is  called  the  Habeas 
Corpus  bill,  by  which  it  is  rendered  illegal  to  detain  in 
prison  any  individual  who  claims  to  be  tried,  and  which 
thus  affords  a  complete  protection  against  all  kinds  of  ar- 
bitrary imprisonment. 

The  people  were  now  becoming  more  and  more  dissat- 
isfied both  with  the  king  and  his  brother  ;  and  the  quiet  of 
the  country  was  greatly  disturbed  by  tumultuous  meetings. 
One  plot  was  formed  in  favor  of  the  duke  of  Monmouth  u 


What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  fought  August  11th,  1673  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  public  affairs  in  England,  1674  ? 

What  was  the  public  feeling  in  1678? 

Was  the  duke  of  York  excluded  from  the  succession  ? 

What  is  the  act  of  Habpas  Corpus  ? 

What  disturbed  the  public  tranquility  in  England,  A.  D     H51 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  329 

son  of  the  king,  whom  some  of  the  more  violent  opposers 
of  the  Popish  party  were  desirous  to  declare  heir  to  the 
crown. 

The  papists,  in  their  turn,  had  also  a  plot  of  their  own  to 
secure  the  duke  of  York's  succession :  and  both  parties 
were  thus  agitated  by  turns  with  various  hopes  and 
schemes.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  names  of  Whig 
and  Tory,  names  so  often  since  used  and  abused,  were 
made  the  appellations  of  two  opposite  factions. 

While  the  country  was  thus  filled  on  all  sides  with  dis- 
content and  apprehension,  the  king  was  urged  by  the  vin- 
dictive temper  of  the  duke  to  exercise  severities  foreign  to 
his  nature  ;  aud  many  persons  were  taken  up  and  executed 
on  suspicion  of  being  engaged  in  plots. 

One  of  these  persons  was  lord  William  Russell,  a  noble- 
man of  high  character,  who  was  accused  of  being  privy  to 
what  was  called  the  Ryehouse  plot,  from  the  name  of  ahouse 
near  Newmarket,  where  the  conspirators  held  their  meet- 
ings. The  witnesses  against  him  were  men  of  infamous 
character  ;  but,  notwithstanding  the  want  of  proper  evi- 
dence, he  was  condemned  and  executed. 

Algernon  Sidney,  son  of  the  earl  of  Leicester,  was  also 
tried  and  executed  with  as  little  show  of  justice.  Nothing 
was  proved  against  him,  but  he  was  known  to  be  attached 
to  republican  principles,  and  for  this  reason  was  the  more 
easily  suspected  of  harboring  designs  against  the  king. 

The  king,  though  he  permitted  these  things  to  be  done, 
does  not  appear  to  have  approved  of  them,  and  often  op- 
posed his  brother's  violent  counsels.  In  the  midst  of  a 
life  of  vicious  indulgence,  Charles  was  attacked  by  an 
apoplexy,  and  died,  after  a  few  days  illness,  February 
6th,  1685,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  the  twenty- 
fifth  of  his  reign.  Charles  II.  married  Catharine  of  Bra- 
ganza,  daughter  of  the  king  of  Portugal.  They  had  no 
children. 


When  were  the  terms  Whig  and  Tory  applied  first  to  political  par 
aes  ? 
What  disposed  Charles  II.  to  severe  measures  ? 
On  what  charge  was  lord  William  Russell  executed  1 
For  what  was  Algernon  Sydney  executed  ? 
Did  Charles  approve  of  these  arbitrary  measures,  and  when  did  \m  die  ? 

15 


330  ENGLISH  HISTOr.V 

Charles  was  a  man  of  exceeding  proflig  icy  of  maimcrn ; 
and  the  influence  of  his  example,  and  that  of  his  associates, 
was  eminently  corrupting  to  the  nation.  This  infection 
spread  from  the  court  through  the  country  ;  and  the  peo- 
ple, flying  from  one  extreme  to  the  other,  gave  up  the 
appearances  of  gravity  and  saintliness  to  assume  the  oppo- 
site character  of  licentiousness.  Even  the  public  taste 
was  corrupted.  Many  of  the  books  written  at  that  timo 
were  polluted  with  the  same  vicious  spirit  that  so  general- 
ly prevailed  in  society. 

There  were,  however,  some  worthy  exceptions  to  this 
degraded  literature.  Paradise  Lost,  a  poem  which  for 
sublimity  and  purity  has  never  been  excelled,  was  pub- 
lished in  this  reign.  Milton,  the  admirable  author,  was  a 
man  of  great  learning,  and  had  been  Latin  secretary  to 
Oliver  Cromwell.  He  wrote  many  prose  works,  which 
are  almost  all  political,  and  in  favor  of  independent  and 
republican  principles. 

Charles  II.  was  not  without  sentiments  of  humanity. 
In  the  great  fire  of  London,  the  people  at  first  seemed  to 
lose  their  senses  in  the  greatness  of  the  calamity.  The 
king  was  the  first  to  regain  his  recollection.  He  himself 
attended  late  and  early  to  encourage  and  reward  the  work- 
men, and  showed  great,  presence  of  mind  and  activity. 

Charles  possessed  talents,  but  made  no  good  use  of  them. 
There  was  a  lively  epigram  made  on  him  by  one  of  the 
wits  of  his  court : — 

Here  lies  our  sovereign  lord  the  king, 

Whose  word  no  man  relies  on  ; 
Who  never  said  a  foolish  thing, 

And  never  did  a  wise  one. 

This  was  shown  to  Charles,  and  he  said,  in  his  pleasant 
way,  that  it  was  very  true  ;  for  his  words  were  his  own, 
but  his  actions  were  his  ministeis  . 


What  were  the  manneis  of  Charles  and  his  court,  and  what  were  the 
effects  of  these  manners  ? 

Who  was  tr";  great  poet  of  Charles's  age  ? 
"Was  Charts  II.  naturally  humane  I 
"VVliat  epigram  was  made  upon  Charles  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  331 

CHAPTER    XXXIII 

JAMES   U. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1G85— 1688.] 

James  was  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age  when  he 
succeeded  to  the  throne  of  England.  He  had  not  his  bro- 
ther's talent  and  brilliancy,  but  he  was  a  man  of  much 
perseverance  and  steady  application  to  business.  He  had 
been  by  his  mother  brought  up  a  Papist,  and  had  acquired 
from  his  religion  a  harshness  and  bigotry  which  does  not 
appear  to  have  belonged  naturally  to  his  character.  He 
meant  to  act  rightly,  and  to  be,  according  to  his  own  ideas, 
a  good  king.  But  he  mistook,  or  to  speak  more  properly, 
he  did  not  regard  the  feelings,  opinion,  or  character  of  the 
people  he  had  to  govern. 

As  he  was  very  young  when  the  civil  war  broke  out, 
he  received  no  regular  education.  When  James  was 
about  fourteen  years  of  age,  he  was  secretly  removed  from 
the  charge  of  the  parliament,  and  conveyed  by  one  of  thr 
royalists  into  Holland,  and  afterwards  to  Brussels. 

James  was  always  glad  to  be  with  his  brother,  but  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  year  1659,  Charles  was  reduced  to 
Jhe  utmost  distress  ;  and  James  was  on  the  point  of  ac- 
cepting an  offer  made  to  him  by  the  king  of  Spain  to  take 
the  c  )mmand  of  the  Spanish  fleet,  when  his  brother's  re- 
storation placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  English  navy  ;  a 
situation  that  suited  him  well,  for  he  was  a  man  of  great 
personal  courage,  and  naturally  inclined  to  an  enterprising 
and  active  life. 

James,  as  soon  as  he  came  to  the  throne,  professed  an 
intention  to  maintain  the  laws  of  the  country  both  in 
church  and  state ;  and  this  declaration  served  greatly  to 
tranquilize  the  minds  of  the  populace,  who  were  well  dis- 
posed to  rely  on  it,  because  James,  notwithstanding  his 
known  bigotry,  had  hitherto  preserved  a  high  character 


What  was  the  character  of  James  II.  ? 

What  was  James's  education? 

Who  placed  the  duke  of  York  a!  the  head  of  the  Fnglial  navy  ( 


332  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

for  sincerity.  Yet  he  sooe  after  despatched  a  Cathulic 
I  riest  to  Rome  to  negotiate  a  re-union  with  the  papal  see. 
The  pope,  Innocent  XL,  had  more  prudence  than  the  king, 
and  advised  him  to  attempt  nothing  rashly. 

The  duke  of  Monmouth  had  found  it  necessary  to  leave 
England  during  the  ferment  of  the  real  or  pretended  plots 
in  the  late  king's  time  ;  but  now,  encouraged  by  the  dread 
the  people  had  of  popery,  and  relying  on  his  own  popu- 
larity, be  returned  and  landed  at  Lyme,  in  Dorsetshire, 
June  11,1 685,  with  only  a  hundred  followers.  He  pre- 
tended that  his  mother  had  been  privately  married  to 
Charles,  and  that  he  was  the  legitimate  heir  to  the  crown. 

Monmouth  soon  assembled  6000  men,  and  was  pre- 
vented only  by  want  of  arms,  from  raising  a  much  greater 
number  Had  he  marched  immediately  to  London  he 
might,  perhaps,  have  had  some  chance  of  succeeding  ;  but 
instead  of  doing  so,  he  wasted  his  time  by  staying  to  be 
proclaimed  in  the  different  towns  he  passed  through.  On 
July  5th,  he  encountered  the  king's  army  at  Sedgemoor 
near  Bridgewater,  and  was  totally  defeated. 

Monmouth  himself  fled  from  the  field  of  battle  without 
stopping,  till  his  horse  dropped  from  fatigue.  He  then 
changed  clothes  with  a  peasant,  and  endeavored  to  con- 
ceal himself  in  the  most  sequestered  places.  At  last  he 
was  found  lying  down  in  a  wet  ditch,  hiding  himself  under 
the  fern  leaves  that  grew  on  the  bank.  Monmouth  was 
taken  to  London,  and  besought  an  interview  with  the 
king,  that  he  might  try  to  move  him  to  pity  the  favorite 
son  of  a  brother  whom  he  had  tenderly  loved. 

But  Monmouth's  crime  was  too  dangerous  to  be  for- 
given ;  and  he  neither  had  had  no  abettors,  or  was  too 
honorable  to  betray  them.  He  was  beheaded  in  the  36th 
year  of  his  age.  Though  this  execution  was  seen  by  erowds 
of  people,  they  could  not  bring  themselves  to  believe,  that 
their  favorite  was  actually  dead.     They  fondly  imagined 


Did  James  favor  the  Catholic  religion  ? 

Upon  what  pretence  did  the  duke  of  Monmouth  claim  the  cro\Vn  of 
England  ? 
Was  Monmouth  successful  ? 
Did  Monmouth  receive  pardon  ? 
Did  ihe  witnesses  of  Monmouth's  e*eoution  doubt  that  he  was  livhfc?  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  333 

that  some  other  person  had,  from  friendship,  sulTued  in 
his  stead,  and  that  they  should  see  him  emerge  from  some 
concealment. 

The  punishment  of  those  who  had  taken  part  in  Mon- 
mouth's rebellion  was  very  severe;  and  the  cruelties 
perpetrated  in  the  king's  name  by  judge  Jeffreys  and 
colonel  Kirk,  in  the  west  of  England,  have  left  a  stain  on 
their  memories,  and  on  that  of  James  II.,  that  can  never 
be  wiped  away.  In  the  same  year,  1685,  the  duke  of 
A r gyle  was  executed  in  Scotland  for  heading  a  rebellion 
in  ihat  country. 

James,  having  now,  as  he  supposed,  suppressed  the  dis- 
contents of  the  people,  thought  that  he  had  sufficiently 
cleared  the  way  for  the  restoration  of  popery.  Being  led 
on  by  the  vehemence  of  the  queen,  and  the  rash  counsels 
of  his  confessor,  father  Peters,  he  introduced  Papists  into 
the  army  and  navy,  suspended  the  bishop  of  London,  and 
issued  a  declaration  of  indulgence  to  the  Roman  Catho- 
lics and  to  the  other  dissenters.  He  also  committed  many 
acts  oppressive  to  the  Protestants,  and  favorable  to  the 
Papists. 

The  measures  now  taken  in  favor  of  the  Catholics  in 
duced  the  primate  and  six  of  the  bishops  to  present  a  re- 
monstrance. For  this  presumption  they  were  committed 
to  the  Tower ;  but  on  being  brought  to  trial  they  were  ac- 
quitted, to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  people  at  large, 
though  to  the  bitter  mortification  of  the  king. 

One  great  check  on  the  king's  ardent  zeal  for  the  resto- 
ration of  popery,  was  the  knowledge  that  should  his  eldest 
daughter,  the  wife  of  the  prince  of  Orange,  succeed  him  on 
the  throne,  the  whole  work  would  be  undone,  both  the 
princess  and  her  husband  being  Protestants,  and  the  prince 
being  universally  looked  up  to  as  the  great  support  of  the 
reformed  religion  in  Europe.  James,  therefore,  ardently 
desired  a  son  :  and  when,  on  June,  1688,  a  sor  wa*i 
born  to  him,  he  thought  every  thing  would  prosper  „o  his 


Were  Monmouth's  adherents  punished  ? 

Did  James  attempt,  the  restoration  of  popery  ? 

Did  the  English  clergy  take  alarm  at  these  proceeding  ? 

Foi  what  did  James  desire  a  son  ? 


334  ENGLISH   HISTORY. 

That  event,  however,  in  fact  hastened  James's  expulsion 
from  the  throne.  For  the  people,  who  had  been  chee/ed 
by  the  hope  of  a  Protestant  sovereign  after  James's  death, 
now  seeing  themselves  cut  off,  according  to  the  ordinary 
course  of  events,  from  any  further  indulgence  of  that  hope 
became  anxious  for  the  king's  dethronement ;  and  man) 
persons  of  rank  and  consideration  entered  into  secret  ne 
gotiations  with  the  prince  of  Orange. 

Meanwhile  James's  conduct  seemed  nothing  but  a 
course  of  blind  infatuation.  He  looked  but  at  one  object, 
the  restoration  of  popery,  and  saw  neither  the  rising  dis- 
contents of  the  people,  nor  the  increased  intercourse 
which  was  held  with  the  prince  of  Orange.  At  last  his 
minister  at  the  Hague  sent  to  warn  him  that  he  might  soon 
expect  an  invasion  from  Holland. 

On  receiving  this  information  James  was  completely 
stunned  ;  the  letter  fell  from  his  hands,  and  it  was  some- 
time before  he  recovered  the  power  of  thinking  and  act- 
ing. When  at  last  he  roused  himself  from  this  state  01 
consternation  and  surprise,  the  only  means  that  occurred 
to  him  of  averting  the  coming  storm,  was  to  retract  some 
of  his  late  obnoxious  measures.  But  these  concessions 
gained  him  no  credit,  and  were  attributed  rather  to  fear 
than  repentance. 

A  D  If 88  ^  ^s  t*me  a  declaration  fr°m  the 
prince  of  Orange,  assuring  the  people  oi 
England  that  he  was  coming  over  to  redress  their  griev- 
ances, was  gladly  received  throughout  the  kingdom.  O.i 
Octooer  31,  he  sailed  from  Helvoetsluys  with  a  numerous 
army  and  fleet,  and  landed  in  Torbay  November  5th. 

The  disastrous  issue  of  Monmouth's  invasion  was  still 
ho  fresh  in  the  memories  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  west  ol 
England,  that  at  first  they  dared  not  join  the  prince  ot 
Orange.  In  a  few  days,  however,  the  gentry  of  Devon- 
shire and  Somersetshire  flocked  to  his  standard.  All  Eng- 
land was  presently  in  commotion,  and  the  people  combined 


What  was  the  effect  of  the  birth  of  a  prince  of  Wales  ? 

Was  James  blind  to  the  consequences  of  his  own  actions? 

Was  James  alarmed  at  the  determination  of  the  prince  of  Orange' 

When  did  the  prince  of  Orange  sail  for  England  ? 

Were  the  English  rejoiced  at  the  coming  of  the  prince  of  Orange  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  335 

almost  universally  against  their  misjudging  and  ill-advised 
monarch. 

James's  dismay  and  perplexity  were  at  this  time  very 
great.  The  Jesuits  who  were  about  him  were  unable  to 
give  him  any  assistance,  and  only  advised  him  to  abandon 
the  country.  The  same  advice  was  also  strongly  urged 
by  the  queen :  and  thus,  overruled  by  the  fears  and  cla- 
mor of  those  around  him,  he  forbore  to  make  even  a  single 
effort  to  preserve  his  throne. 

He  sent  the  queen  and  her  infant  son  secretly  away 
and  on  December  12th,  he  himself  left  London  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  attended  only  by  sir  Edward  Hales. 
His  intention  was  to  get  onboard  a  ship  at  Sheerness,  and 
to  escape  to  France. 

When  it  was  known  that  the  king  was  gone,  and  had 
left  no  one  in  charge  of  the  administration,  the  mob  of  Lon- 
don rose,  and  seemed  to  consider  themselves  as  masters, 
and  set  about  executing  summary  justice  in  the  usual  man- 
ner of  mobs.  They  destroyed  all  the  mass-houses  ;  and 
rinding  judge  Jeffreys,  disguised,  and  intending  to  fly  the 
country,  they  vented  their  rage  on  him  so  unmercifully 
that  he  died  in  consequence. 

To  add  to  the  general  confusion,  lord  Feversham,  com- 
mander of  the  king's  forces,  disbanded  them,  and  with- 
out disarming  or  giving  the  pay  due  to  them,  turned  the 
men  loose  on  the  country.  In  this  extremity,  those  peers 
and  bishops  who  happened  to  ba  in  London  assembled, 
and  sent  an  invitation  to  the  prince  of  Orange,  who  now 
assumed  almost  all  the  functions  of  royalty. 

Meanwhile  the  fugitive  king  had  been  discovered  at  Fe- 
versham. He  was  brought  back  to  London  much  to  the 
dissatisfaction  of  the  prince  of  Orange,  who  had  promised 
his  wife  that  no  personal  violence  should  be  offered  to  her 
father.  William,  therefore,  not  only  winked  at,  but  even 
secretly  assisted  James  to  make  his  escape  a  second  time. 
On  the  25th  December,  this  unfortunate  monarch  landed  a« 


How  did  James  meet  the  prince,  &c.  ? 

How  did  the  king  and  his  family  escape  ? 

WKat  was  the  first  effect  of  the  abdication  ? 

What  happened  in  London  upon  the  king's  abdication  ? 

Did  the  prince  of  Orange  easily  assume  the  function  of  royalty  T 

Did  William  treat  James  II.  renerously  ? 


336  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

Ambleteus  in  Picardy,  from  whence  he  proceeded  to  St. 
Germains,  near  Paris,  where  Louis  XIV.  received  him 
w  ith  great  generosity  and  commiseration.  He  had  reigned 
about  three  years. 

By  his  first  wife,  Anne  Hyde,  James  II.  had  two  daugh- 
ters ;  Mary,  married  William  of  Nassau,  prince  of  Orange  ; 
Anne,  married  George,  son  of  Frederick  III.,  king  01 
Denmark.  By  his  second  wife,  Maria  Beatrice  of  Este, 
lie  had  James  Francis  Edward,  afterwards  called  the  pre- 
tender ;  Mary  Louisa,  who  was  to  have  been  a  nun,  but 
died  before  she  took  the  veil. 


One  of  the  most  virtuous  men,  and  profound  philosophers 
of  the  time  of  James  II.  was  the  celebrated  Robert  Boyle, 
an  extraordinary  able  and  good  man,  who  withdrew  himself 
from  all  the  tumults  of  the  unhappy  times  he  lived  in,  and 
devoted  his  life  to  science  and  religion.  Charles  II.,  after 
his  restoration,  pressed  Mr.  Boyle  to  become  a  clergyman, 
and  to  accept  of  some  church  preferment ;  but  he  declined, 
saying  that  what  he  could  do  for  the  service  of  religion  he 
thought  would  have  more  effect  as  coming  from  a  layman. 

Sir  Christopher  Wren  was  an  architect.  He  was  em- 
ployed to  furnish  designs  for  rebuilding  the  churches  that 
were  destroyed  by  the  fire  of  London.  Fifty-eight  churches 
were  built  by  him.  Of  these  St.  Paul's  is  his  greatest 
work.  Indeed  it  is  considered  to  be  the  finest  church  in 
Europe,  with  the  exception  only  of  St.  Peter's  at  Rome. 

St.  Peter's  was  above  a  hundred  years  in  building.  The 
first  stone  of  St.  Paul's  was  laid  in  1675,  and  the  whole 
building  was  completed  in  thirty-five  years,  though  some 
of  the  decorations  were  not  finished  till  1723.  It  seemed 
as  if  the  life  of  the  venerable  architect  was  lengthened, 
that  he  might  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  completion 
of  his  great  work.  He  died  the  year  it  was  finished,  aged 
ninety-one. 


Who  was  Mr.  Boyle? 
Who  was  sir  Christopher  Wren  ? 

Which  is  the  greatest  work,  St.  Peter's  or  St  Paul's  churchee,  roJ 
"where  are  loth  ? 


ENGLISH   HlSTOilY.  337 


CHAPTER    XXXIV. 

WILLIAM  III. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1689— 1702. J 

William ol  Nassau  was  son  of  William  prince  of  Orange, 
and  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter  of  Charles  I.  He  was  in 
the  thirty-nintn  year  of  his  age,  when  the  general  voice  ol 
'he  people  of  England  called  upon  him  to  ascend  the 
throne  Some  years  before  he  had  been  chosen  stadthol- 
der  of  Holland,  and  had  long  been  accustomed  to  an  active 
life,  and  had  shown  much  firmness  and  military  skill  in 
the  wars  between  Louis  XIV.  and  the  Dutch. 

William  married  the  princess  Mary,  daughter  of  James 
U.  This  princess  had  a  fine  person,  with  an  engaging 
countenance,  accompanied  by  an  air  of  great  dignity.  She 
was  a  truly  good  woman,  and  little  ambitious  of  governing 

After  a  long  debate  in  both  houses  of  parliament,  it  was 
settled  that  the  prince  and  princess  of  Orange  should  be 
made  king  and  queen  of  England,  and  that  the  adminis- 
tration of  government  should  be  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  prince  only.  The  two  houses  at  the  same  time  made 
a  declaration,  called  the  Bill  of  Rights,  by  which  the  pre- 
rogatives of  the  crown  were  limited  and  defined,  and  the 
liberty  of  the  subject  placed  in  greater  security. 

At  first  all  was  harmony  and  satisfaction  :  but  William 
had  not  long  been  king  of  England  before  he  and  his  new 
subjects  became  mutually  discontented  with  each  other. 
William,  a  thorough  soldier,  found  the  management  of  a 
free  people  extremely  troublesome. 

The  English  on  their  side,  were  little  pleased  with  a 
monarch  who,  instead  of  living  amongst  his  people  in  that 
sort  of  social  way  to  which  their  former  kings  had  accus- 
fomed  them,  spent  most  of  his  time  either  alone  in  his  clo- 
set, or  at  a  camp  which  he  had  formed  at  Honnslow-.    And 


Whc  was  William  of  Nassau  ? 

Whom  did  William  III.  marry  .' 

What  was  the  bill  of  rights?  . 

Did  William  and  his  English  subjects  suit  each  other  ? 

Did  the  English  like  a  military  monarch  ? 


338  ENOLfbll    HISTORY 

when  he  did  show  himself  in  his  court,  which  was  very 
seldom,  he  did  not.  appear  gracious  and  amiable. 

After  a  time,  finding  that  this  secluded  way  of  life 
made  him  very  unpopular,  William  tried  to  rouse  himseli, 
and,  on  various  public  occasions,  exerted  himself  so  far  a.^ 
to  conduct  himself  with  affability  to  those  about  him,  but 
still  the  whole  bent  of  his  mind  was  fixed  on  humbling  tlw 
power  of  France,  and  this  more  for  the  sake  of  revenging 
the  quarrels  of  his  native  country,  than  from  any  motive 
in  which  England  was  concerned- 
Soon  after  the  settlement  of  the  crown  of  England,  tin; 
Scots  declared  the  crown  of  Scotland  vacant,  and  offered 
it  to  William  and  Mary.  Thus  the  title  of  the  new  sove- 
reign became  established  in  both  kingdoms.  Lord  Dun- 
dee alone  collected  a  body  of  Highlanders.  With  a  f e  w 
hundred  men  he  defeated  a  large  body  of  William's  troops 
at  the  pass  of  Killicrankie.  Dundee  himself  was,  however, 
mortally  wounded  in  the  action,  and  died  on  the  day  fol- 
lowing. His  death  so  broke  down  the  spirit  of  the  High- 
land clans,  that  they,  after  a  short  time,  accepted  the  par- 
don offered  them  by  William,  and  acknowledged  his  au- 
thority. 

A  D  1  f  RQ  A  few  months  before  the  battle  of  Killi- 
crankie, James  himself,  being  assisted 
by  Loids  XIV.  with  arms  and  money,  landed  at  Kinsale 
in  Ireland.  That  island,  in  which  the  greater  part  of  the 
people  were  Papists,  still  adhered  to  him.  In  March,  he 
made  a  public  entry  into  Dublin,  where  he  was  joyfully 
received.  He  afterwards  laid  siege  to  Londonderry  ;  but 
the  besieged,  though  reduced  by  famine  to  the  last  extre- 
mity, made  a  most  vigorous  and  obstinate  defence,  and 
were  at  last  relieved. 

In  the  month  of  August  in  the  same  year,  the  duke  oi 
Schomberg,  William's  favorite  general,  landed  in  Ireland 
with  ten  thousand  men,  and  immediately  commenced  ope 
rations  against  the  Jacobites,  the  name  which  was  giver 
to  James's  party.     The  duke,  however,  met  with  unnx- 


Did  William  accommodate  his  deportment  to  the  Engli&n  chararMei 
Did  the  Scots  cordially  receive  Wl  jam  for  their  king  ? 
Did  James  II.  attempt  to  recover  the  crown  of  England  ? 
Did  William  himseli  take  up  arms  against  his  father-in-law  T 


ENGLISH    IIISTORV.  .       339 

pectel  difficulties ;  and  after  James  had  been  above  a 
year  in  Ireland,  William  resolved  to  undertake  the  war 
against  him  in  person. 

A  D  IfQO  ^une  14>  William  landed  at  Carrickfer- 
'  gus  with  a  large*  body  of  troops,  who, 
when  joined  to  those  already  in  Ireland  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  duke  of  Schomberg,  composed  an  army  of 
thirty-six  thousand  well-appointed  and  disciplined  men. 
James  wa3  able  to  bring  nearly  as  many  men  into  the 
field  ;  and  the  two  armies  came  in  sight  of  each  other  on 
the  opposite  sides  of  the  river  Boyne,  not  far  from  Slane 
Bridge. 

The  battle  that  ensued  was  decisive,  and  William  re- 
mained master  of  the  field.  During  the  heat  of  the  ac- 
tion, the  duke  of  Schomberg  was  killed  by  some  mistake 
of  his  own  regiment,  who  being  foreigners,  and  not  know- 
ing the  English  from  the  Irish,  had  levelled  their  pieces 
against  their  own  party.  The  duke  was  in  the  82d  year 
of  his  age,  and  had  passed  the  greatest  part  of  his  life  in 
campaigning. 

When  James,  from  the  neighboring  hill  of  Dunmore 
saw  his  troops  give  way,  it  seems  he  relinquished  the  en- 
terprize  of  recovering  his  kingdom.  He  immediately  pro- 
ceeded to  Dublin,  where  he  called  the  magistrates  toge- 
ther, and  signified  to  them  his  intention  of  leaving  the 
kingdom.  In  a  few  days  he  sailed  for  France  and  there 
lived  the  rest  of  his  days  under  the  protection  of  the 
French  king.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  practised 
all  the  austerities  of  a  monk,  and  died  in  1701. 

Some  few  places,  after  James  had  quitted  Ireland,  still 
held  out  against  William  :  William,  however,  soon  returned 
to  England,  and  committed  the  management  of  the  Irish 
war,  first  to  the  earl,  afterwards  duke,  of  Marlborough, 
and  then  to  the  earl  of  Athlone,  who,  before  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  year  1691,  reduced  the  towns  that  had  held 
out  for  James,  and  completely  subdued  his  party. 

Those  who  chose  still  to  follow  his  fortunes  had  permis 


What  was  the  English  force  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyus  I 
What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  of  the  Boyne  ? 
Whither  did  James  retreat  and  when  did  he  die  ? 
VVho  completed  the  war  in  Ireland  ? 


340  ENGLISH  HISTORY 

siou  given  them  to  leave  the  is  .and,  and  consequently 
12,000  of  the  Irish  Catholics  retired  to  France,  whore 
tney  were  hospitably  received  by  Louis  XIV.,  and  formed 
into  a  corps  which  was  long  afterwards  kept  up  under  the 
title  of   he  Irish  brigade. 

Thus  was  Ireland  rendered  completely  tranquil.  In 
Scotland,  after  the  battle  of  Killicrankie  no  resistance  had 
been  opposed  to  the  establishment  jf  William's  authority, 
but  the  Highlanders  could  not  thoroughly  reconcile  them- 
selves to  the  loss  of  their  ancient  race  of  kings  ;  and  the 
Presbyterians,  though  they  were  no  friends  to  the  Stuarts, 
yet  thought  themselves  highly  aggrieved  by  William. 

William  had  attempted  to  introduce  episcopacy  into 
Scotland,  and  this  was  a  cause  of  dislike  to  them.  A  few 
slight  tumults,  which  these  discontents  excited,  had  been 
soon  quelled,  and  a  general  pardon  was  promised  to  all 
who  on  or  before  a  particular  day  should  take  the  oath  of 
allegiance  to  William. 

It  happened  that  a  certain  Highland  chief,  Macdonald 
of  Glencoe,  had  mistaken  the  day  of  taking  the  oath,  and 
his  enemy,  the  earl  of  Breadalbane,  represented  to  the 
king,  that  Macdonald's  misapprehension  was  a  defiance 
of  the  royal  authority.  William  accordingly  granted  a 
warrant  of  military  execution  both  against  Macdonald 
himself  and  his  whole  clan.  A  party  of  the  Campbells 
was  sent  to  Glencoe,  and  there  fell  like  butchers  on  the 
unarmed  and  unsuspecting  Macdonalds. 

Nearly  forty  persons  were  massacred  at  Glencoe.  rI  he 
rest  made  their  escape,  but  many  who  escaped  for  the 
present  perished  afterwards  from  the  inclemency  of  the 
season,  or  by  famine,  or  died  of  grief.  This  horrible  out- 
rage caused  a  general  detestation  of  William's  govern- 
ment, and  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  series  of  troubles 
and  sorrows  in  Scotland.  The  king  tried  to  exculpate 
nimself  by  saying  that  he  had  signed  the  fatal  warrant  in 


Did  any  Irish  quit  their  country  ? 

Were  the  Scots  well  affected  to  the  government  of  Wil  iarn  III.  ? 
What  occasion  for  pardon  of  the  Scots  occurred  ? 
Who  misunderstood  the  condition  of  pardon,  and  v  in  misrepresented 
hi-3  motive  ? 

Who  executed  the  massacre  of  G  encoc  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  341 

tno  hurry  of  business,  without  being  aware  of  its  full  pur- 
port. 

A  n  ifiQl  William,  who  had  gone  to  the  continent 
soon  after  his  return  from  Ireland,  now 
actively  engaged  in  a  war  with  France.  Many  of  the 
Protestant  states  of  Germany  had  joined  Holland  in  a  war 
against  France.  William  took  on  himself  the  command 
of  the  allied  army ;  and,  only  making  occasion  il  visits  to 
England,  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  the  next  three  years 
on  the  continent.  Flanders  was  the  chief  seat  of  the  war; 
and  in  the  conduct  of  it  prince  Eugene  of  Savoy,  the  earl 
of  Marlborough,  and  the  duke  of  Schomberg  (son  of  the 
veteran  who  was  killed  in  Ireland,)  greatly  distinguished 
themselves. 

A  D  f  Q9  Louis  XIV.  made  another  attempt  to  ef- 
'  feet  the  restoration  of  James  II.  He  pre- 
pared a  numerous  fleet  for  the  invasion  of  England  ;  but  it 
was  completely  defeated  off  La  Hogue  by  the  combined 
fleets  of  the  English  and  Dutch. 

Queen  Mary,  who  during  her  husband's  absences  from 
England  had  the  chief  conduct  of  the  government,  endeared 
herself  much  to  the  nation,  acting  on  many  occasions  with 
great  firmness  and  judgment,  and  at  the  same  time  with 
great  mildness.  She  died  of  the  small-pox,  Dec.  28, 1 694, 
and  was  very  sincerely  lamented. 

William  was  in  England  at  the  time  of  the  queen's  death, 
an  event  which  greatly  grieved  him.  He  soon  after  went 
again  to  the  continent,  and  passed  there  another  year  in 
fighting  the  battles  of  the  allies.  The  Jacobites  at  home 
were  still  constantly  on  the  watch  for  any  opportunity  to 
disturb  the  government,  and  many  plots  were  laid  for  as- 
sassinating him  ;  but  the  mass  of  the  people  were  steady 
to  their  allegiance. 

A  T)  1  fiQ7  ^  &eneral  PPace  was  made,  called  the 
'  peace  of  Ry-swick,  by  which  the  conti- 
nent of  Europe  was  lor  a  short  time  restored  to  tranquillity, 


Did  William  justify  himself  for  the  massacre  01  Gler.coe  ? 
Who  carried  on  a  continental  war  in   1C9),  and   for  sonio  years  fol- 
lowing ? 

When  did  queen  Mary  die  ? 

Did  William  wholly  possess  the  love  of  his  subjects  ? 


342  ENGLISH   HISTORY". 

but  tuwards  the  conclusio  1  of  William's  reign  an  alliance 
was  agreed  upon  between  the  emperor,  the  king  of  Eng- 
land, and  the  Dutch,  which  led  soon  afterwards  to  a  re- 
newal of  the  war  WilLam  was  engaged  in  making  ac- 
tive preparations,  when  an  accident  put  a  sudden  end  to 
his  life. 

On  the  21st  of  February,  1702,  as  the  king  was  riding 
to  Hampton  Court,  from  Kensington,  his  horse  fell  with 
him,  and  he  was  thrown  with  so  much  violence  that  he 
broke  his  collar-bone.  From  the  consequences  of  this  ac- 
cident he  never  recovered,  but  on  March  the  8th,  he  ex- 
pired, in  the  52d  year  of  his  age,  and  the  fourteenth  of  h:» 
reign.  After  his  death,  a  ring  containing  some  of  the  late 
queen's  hair  was  found  fastened  by  a  black  ribbon  round 
his  arm.  He  married  Mary,  eldest  daughter  of  James  II., 
nnd  left  no  children. 

King  James  II.  died  at  St.  Germains  a  few  months  be- 
fore William  ;  and  his  son  James  Francis  was  proclaimed 
king  of  England  by  Louis.  At  William's  accession  the 
English  parliament  had  set  the  claims  of  James  totally 
aside,  and  had  settled  the  succession,  after  William  and 
Mary,  and  in  the  event  of  their  leaving  no  children,  on  the 
princess  Anne  and  her  children. 

William  and  Mary  having  no  children,  and  the  duke  of 
Gloucester,  the  only  surviving  child  of  the  princess  Anne 
having  died  in  the  latter  part  of  William's  reign,  a  new 
act  was  passed  in  1701,  settling  the  crown,  on  failure  of 
the  direct  line,  on  the  electress  Sophia  and  her  Protestant 
descendants. 

Sophia  was  daughter  of  the  queen  of  Bohemia,  electress- 
palatine  and  was  grand-daughter  of  James  I.  She  mar- 
ried the  duke,  afterwards  elector  of  Hanover,  a  Protestant 
prince  of  the  house  of  Brunswick.  The  duchess  of  Savoy 
who  was  daughter  of  Henrietta,  youngest  daughter  ol 
Charles  I.,  protested,  as  being  in  a  nearer  line  of  succet-- 


Did  the  peace «.    Ryswick  effectually  preserve  peace  in  Europe  ? 
By  what  accident  did  William  lose  his  life  ? 
Whom  did  the  parliament  pronounce  successor  to  William  III.  ? 
fn  failure  of  the  direct  ine,  who  wa3  to  succeed  the  princess  Anne 
Who  protested  againsi  tie   succession  of  the  house  of  Brunswick  to 
the  throne  of  En^lanl  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  343 

sion,  against  this  settlement ;  but  her  claims   were  unat- 
tended to,  both  she  and  her  children  being  Catholics. 


William  appropriated  the  park  and  palace  at  Greenwich 
ns  a  hospital  for  disabled  seamen.  The  bank  of  England 
was  established  in  this  reign.  The  expenses  of  the  king's 
Jbreign  wars  had  occasioned  a  continual  drain  for  money, 
and  he  first  burdened  the  country  with  a  national  debt, 
(he  foundation  of  what  is  called  the  public  funds. 

The  national  debt  is  an  exceeding  large  sum  of  monty, 
amounting  at  the  present  lime  in  England,  to  many  hun- 
dred millions  of  pounds  sterling — a  debt  which  has  been 
incurred  at  different  times  by  government,  which  has  bor- 
rowed money  from  private  persons  to  pay  the  army  and 
defray  other  expenses,  and  that  money,  still  unpaid,  is  due 
to  the  lenders  or  their  heirs.  These  receive  in  return  per- 
petual annuities  ;  or  else  payment  is  due  to  persons  who 
have  acquired  a  portion  of  those  annuities  from  those  who 
actually  lent  the  money  ;  for  these  annuities  have  been  di- 
vided and  subdivided,  sometimes  into  very  small  portions 
and  have  been  sold  and  resold  over  and  over  again. 

The  most  famous  military  man  of  William's  time  was 
John,  duke  of  Marlborough.  His  family  name  was 
Churchill ;  and  his  father  had  some  inferior  place  in  the 
court  of  Cha  les  II.  Young  Churchill  entered  the  army 
at  twelve  years  old,  and  was  engaged  in  active  service 
nearly  the  whole  of  his  life,  which  proved  a  long  one. 

Churchill  was  made  earl  of  Marlborough  by  William, 
who  had  a  high  value  for  him,  and  appreciated  his  great 
abilities.  Indeed,  he  was  a  man  of  such  an  extraordinary 
military  genius,  that  it  is  said  so  skilful  a  commander  had 
not  been  seen  ill  England  since  the  days  of  the  Black 
Prince. 


Who  founded  Greenwich  hospital  T 

When  was  the  Bank  of  England  established  ? 

What  is  the  national  debt  of  a  country  ? 

Who  wap  the  great  warrior  of  William  and  Anr  e's  reign  ? 

Was  Maryborough's  genius  compared  with  that  ol  any  other  wurrior  'I 


;44 


«"\TGLISH   HISTORY. 


CHAPTER    XXXV 

ANNE. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1702 — 1714-1 


The  house  in  which  sir  Isaac  Newton  v;as  horn. 

On  the  death  of  William,  Anne  succeeded  peaceably  tc 
the  crown.  She  was  then  in  the  thirty-ninth  year  of  hei 
age  :  she  had  married,  in  1683,  George,  son  of  Frederick 
III.,  king  of  Denmark,  and  had  many  children,  who  all 
died  in  their  infancy,  except  one  son,  prince  George. 
This  young  prince  lived  to  be  eleven  years  old.  His 
death  caused  the  most  bitter  grief  of  his  parents,  especially 
to  his  mother,  who  after  that  event  never  regained  her 
former  vivacity.  Anne  had  a  good  natural  capacity,  but 
it  had  been  very  little  cultivated.  Her  temper  was  mild 
and  obliging. 

The  undivided  administration  of  government  was  vested 
in  the  queen,  prince  George  having  no  greater  dignities  in 
the  state  than  those  of  generalissimo  of  the  queen's  forces 
and  of  lord  high  admiral.     He  was  a  man,  indeed,  who 


What  were  Queen  Anne's   domestic  circumstances,  and  her  personal 
character  ? 
Had  prince  George  of  Denmark  any  royal  function  in  England  7 


ENGUSH   HISTORY.  345 

had  no  wish  to  interfere  in  the  management  of  public  af 
fairs.  The  political  animosities  between  the  Whigs  and 
the  Tories  ran  very  high  during  the  whole  of  this  reign. 

The  leading  difference  in  the  views  of  the  two  parties 
was  on  the  subject  of  the  succession  to  the  crown,  in  cane 
Anne  should  die  without  children.  The  Tories  were  in 
favor  of  the  pretender  and  of  the  house  of  Stuart,  while 
the  Whigs  were  friends  of  ihe  house  of  Hanover  and  the 
Protestant  succession,  as  established  by  the  act  of  parlia- 
ment in  the  latter  end  of  William's  reign. 

Louis  XIV.  was  now  become  more  than  ever  formida- 
ble to  all  the  other  states  of  Europe.  The  curbing  of  this 
exorbitant  power,  and  the  placing  the  archduke  Charles, 
son  of  the  emperor  of  Austria,  on  the  throne  of  Spain,  were 
the  great  objects  of  the  alliance  which  had  been  made, 
towards  the  close  of  William's  reign,  between  the  Dutch, 
the  king  of  England,  and  the  emperor. 

Anne,  on  her  accession,  declared  herself  resolved  to 
pursue  the  same  line  of  policy  in  which  her  predecessor 
had  engaged  so  warmly :  and  she  sent  Marlborough  to 
conduct  the  war  on  the  continent,  at  the  same  time  ap- 
pointing him  ambassador  to  the  Dutch  ;  whose  confidence 
Reacquired  so  thoroughly,  that  they  also  invested  him  with 
the  chief  command  of  their  own  army. 

A  D  1703  Marlborough,  on  account  of  his  military 
talents  and  his  achievements  on  the  con- 
tinent of  Europe  was  created  a  duke,  and  the  nation  be- 
stowed upon  him  the  manor  of  Woodstock,  and  a  splen- 
did palace  called  Blenheim  House  in  commemoration  of 
one  of  his  victories  on  the  banks  of  the  Danube  near  the 
village  of  Blenheim. 

After  the  archduke  Charles  had  applied  for  the  assist- 
ance of  England  in  asserting  his  claim  to  the  crown  of 
Spain  ;  a  fleet  was  sent  under  Sir  George  Rooke,  to  con- 
vey the  archduke  to  Lisbon,  where  he  landed.  From 
thence  he  marched  into  Spain,  with  a  considerable  body 
af  troops,  but  was  unable  to  make  any  progress. 

Sir  George  Rooke  proceeded  into  the  Mediterranean, 

What  was  the  matter  of  contention  between  the  Whigs   and  Tories  o/ 
queen  Anne's  reign  ? 
What  appointments  did  the  Queen  bestow  upon  Marlborough  ? 
Who  united  to  restrain  the  power  of  Louis  XIV.  ? 
What  national  honors  were  bestowed  on  the  duke  of  Marlborough  ? 
Who  conveyed  the  Archduke  to  Lisbon  ? 


346  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

and,  after  an  unsuccessful  attempt  on  Barcelona,  attacked 
and  took  the  fortress  of  Gibraltar,  which  has  since  proved 
one  of  the  most  valuable  possessions  to  England,  and  has 
resisted  every  endeavor  to  retake  it. 

A  D  170"  ^  ^eet  was  sent>  im(^er  sir  Cloudesly 
Shovel,  having  on  board  five  thousand 
soldiers,  commanded  by  the  earl  of  Peterborough,  to  the 
assistance  of  the  archduke.  The  fleet,  taking  the  arch- 
duke on  board  at  Lisbon,  sailed  for  the  coast  of  Catalonia, 
where  he  was  supposed  to  have  many  friends. 

Barcelona,  though  defended  by  a  large  garrison,  was 
now  forced  to  surrender,  chiefly  through  the  extraordinary 
vigor  and  ability  with  which  Peterborough  pressed  the 
siege.  The  English  under  command  of  earl  Gal  way  were 
afterwards  defeated  in  Spain,  and  the  cause  of  the  arch- 
duke was  abandoned,  and  the  Bourbons  retained  the 
throne. 

At  the  head  of  very  inconsiderable  forces,  Peterborough 
at  one  time  nearly  gained  Spain  for  the  archduke,  whom 
he  caused  to  be  proclaimed  as  Charles  III.,  and  he  almost 
drove  Philip  V.  out  of  Spain.  But  in  the  midst  of  his  vic- 
torious career  he  was  recalled  to  England,  and  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  in  Spain  was  given  to  the  earl  of  Gal  way. 

In  1707,  sir  Cloudesly  Shovel's  ship,  with  three  others 
were  wrecked  on  the  rocks  of  Scilly.  Sir  Cloudesly  pe- 
rished :  and  out  of  the  four  ships'  crews  only  one  captain 
and  twenty-four  seamen  were  saved.  In  the  following 
year  prince  George  of  Denmark  died. 

The  duke  Marlborough  meanwhile  increased  his  re- 
nown abroad,  and  gained  many  splendid  victories ;  ol 
which  the  most  celebrated  are  those  of  Ramillies,  which 
was  fought  on  the  23d  of  May,  1706  ;  of  Oudenarde, 
fought  July  11th,  1708;  and  of  Malplaquet,  Sept.  11th, 
1709. 

The  war  was  carried  on  till  1712,  and  is  marked  by  the 
adventurous  career  of  Lord  Peterborough  in  Spain  as  well 

Who  took  Gibraltar  ? 

Who  conveyed  the  Archduke  to  Catalonia? 
Was  the  Archduke  established  on  the  throne  of  Spain  : 
What  were  the  achievements  of  Lord  Peterborough  ? 
What  became  of  sir  Cloudesly  Shovel  ? 
What  were  Marlborough's  great  victories  ? 

How  long  did  the  continental  war  in  which  Marlborough  engaged 
l&stf 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  347 

w  the  achievements  of  the  duke  of  Marlborough  but  not- 
withstanding the  genius  of  both,  neither  of  these  distin- 
guished men  seem  to  have  fulfilled  very  desirable  objects. 

Marlborough,  from  some  defect  of  generosity,  could  not 
engage  the  affections  of  his  countrymen.  He  was  dis- 
missed from  all  his  employments,  1711,  and  chose  rather 
to  live  on  the  continent  than  in  England.  Lord  Peterbo- 
rough's enterprises  were  more  splendid  th£.:i  useful.  The 
talent  of  great  warriors  in  the  present  age,  commands  less 
admiration  than  it  once  did.  Great  men  are  now  dis- 
covered to  be  good  men,  and  to  love  peace  better  than 
war. 

In  January,  1712,  a  treaty  for  a  ger.eral  peace  was 
opened  at  Utrecht ;  but  it  was  so  difficult  to  adjust  the 
claims  of  the  many  different  states  who  had  taken  part  in 
the  war,  that  the  negotiations  could  not  be  brought  to  an 
end  till  April,  1713,  when  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  was  signed 

The  chief  articles  of  this  treaty  which  concerned  Eng 
land  were,  that  Louis  should  resign  Newfoundland,  Hud 
son's  Bay,  and  the  island  of  St.  Christopher's  to  the  Eng 
lish,  that  he  should  abandon  the  cause  of  the   Pretender, 
and  acknowledge  Anne  and  the  Protestant  succession. 

The  Pretender,  who  had  now  assumed  the  name  of  the 
Chevalier  St.  George,  protested  ineffectually  against  this 
article  of  the  treaty.  Louis,  however,  still  afforded  him 
protection.  He  had  married  a  daughter  of  John  Sobieski, 
king  of  Poland  ;  a  princess  of  very  exalted  character,  and 
far  superior  to  her  husband  both  in  capacity  and  merit. 

The  Pretender  had  two  sons,  Charles  Edward,  anj 
Henry.  The  eldest  was  afterwards  known  as  the  young 
Pretender,  to  distinguish  him  from  his  father,  who  is  often 
termed  the  old  Pretender.  Henry  took  orders  in  the 
Romish  church,  and  was  afterwards  cardinal  of  York. 

A    n   1710      The  electress  Sophia  died,  in  her  84th 

year ;  and  her  son,  George,  became  the 

head  of  the  Protestant  succession.     A  few  months  after 

Were  the  enterprises  of  Marlborough  and  Peterborough  very  iropoitant 
to  the  English  nation  ? 
When  was  the  peace  of  Utrecht  made  ? 
What  were  the  chief  articles  of  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  ? 
How  did  the  Pretender  regard  the  treaty  of  Utrecht  ? 
Who  were  the  Pretender's  sons  1 
Who  was  appointed  successor  of  Queen  Ai:nf  ? 


348  ENGLISH    HISTOKY 

the  death  of  Sophia,  the  queen  fell  into  a  "bad  stale  of 
health ;  occasioned,  it  is  said,  by  the  intolerable  dissen- 
sions amongst  her  ministers. 

The  Whig  party  proved  in  the  end  the  stronger  ;  and 
at  length  the  queen's  death  visibly  approaching,  a  letter 
was  sent  to  the  elector  of  Hanover,  desiring  him  to 
come  immediately  to  Holland,  where  a  squadron  should 
be  in  waiting  to  bring  him  to  England.  Heralds  were 
kept  in  readiness  to  proclaim  king  George,  the  instant  the 
queen  should  expire.  Care  was  also  taken  to  secure  the 
seaports,  and  many  other  precautions  were  adopted  to 
prevent  the  Tories  and  Jacobites  from  attempting  the  res- 
toration of  the  Stuarts. 

The  queen  died  August  1, 1714,  in  the  51st  year  of  net 
age,  and  in  the  13th  of  her  reign.  She  married  George 
son  of  Frederick  III.,  king  of  Denmark,  and  h*vd  nine 
children  ;  only  one  of  whom,  George,  Duke  of  Gloucester 
lived  beyond  the  age  of  infancy.  He  died  July  23,  1700. 
aged  eleven  years. 

Though  Anne  was  a  woman  of  no  very  brilliant  quali- 
ties, yet  many  lasting  benefits  were  in  her  reign  conferred 
on  the  country.  Among  these  was  the  union  with  Scot- 
land, a  measure  which  James  I.  had  vainly  attempted  to 
accomplish,  and  which  succeeding  kings  had  thought  im- 
practicable, and  which  at  last  was  not  effected  without 
much  opposition  from  those  whose  private  interests  or  pre 
judices  made  them  adverse  to  it. 

By  the  terms  of  the  Union  the  two  kingdoms  were  in 
future  to  be  considered  as  one  country.  The  Scots  were 
to  retain  their  own  Presbyterian  form  of  church  govern- 
ment, their  established  laws  for  the  administration  of  jus 
tice,  and  in  all  matters  of  property  ;  but  it  was  settled  that 
instead  of  retaining  their  parliament,  they  should  send 
forty-five  commoners  and  sixteen  peers  to  represent  then] 
iii  the  English  parliament. 


Wh  ch  proved  the  stronger  party,  the  Whigs  or  Tories  T 
"When  did  the  queen  die,  and  what  was  her  family  ? 
"What  was  the  most  important  event  of  queen  Anne's  reign? 
Whrrt  were  the  articles  of  the  Union  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  349 


TABLE. 


James  I. 
Cheries  1. 


gssm^l—rfotaH-i 


<  William  III. 

(  Mary,  daughter  of  James  II. 

Anne,  daughter  of  James  II. 

George  I.  son  of  the  electress  Sophia  of  Hanover,  who  was  daughter 
of  James  l.'s  daughter,  the  electress  palatine. 

The  old  Pretender,  James  Francis,  was  the  son  of  king  James  II. 

The  young  Pretender,  Charles  Edward,  and  Henry,  cardinal  of  York, 
were  sons  of  the  Pretender  James  Francis. 


The  reign  of  Anne  is  certainly  a  brilliant  period  of  Eng- 
lish history,  and  very  few  other  periods  can  be  named  in 
which  so  many  men  of  genius  nourished  together.  Of 
the  military  and  naval  achievements  of  the  reign  a  brief 
sketch  has  been  given.  This  period  is  also  regarded  as 
an  epoch  in  the  history  of  taste  and  literature. 

Dryden  had  died  in  1701,  one  year  before  the  accession 
of  Anne.  Locke  died  only  two  years  after.  Pope,  Steele, 
and  Addison  nourished  during  her  reign,  and  perhaps  did 
more  towards  the  improvement  of  the  general  style  of 
thinking  and  writing  than  was  done  by  any  other  writer. 

The  Tatler  and  Spectator,  which  were  chiefly  written 
by  Steele  and  Addison,  were  the  first  periodical  works 
that  appeared  in  England,  and  were  read  with  the  greatest 
avidity  by  all  classes  of  persons.  Dr.  Swift,  who  wrote 
many  political  and  satirical  works,  was  also  one  of  the 
greatest  geniuses  of  this  age. 

Sir  Isaac  Newton,  whose  genius  towered  above  that  of 
all  his  contemporaries,  lived  all  through  the  reign  of  Anne;, 
and  did  not  die  till  1727.  His  great  work  on  the  system 
of  the  universe  was  published  in  the  time  of  William  III 

Newton  was  not  only  one  of  the  profoundest  philoso 
pliers,  but  also  one  of  the  most  sincere  and  humble  Chris 


Was  the  reign  cf  Anne  remarkable  fo   the  manifestation  of  mind  '( 
Who  were  the  more  eminent  writers  of  Anne's  reign  ? 
What  were  the  remarkable  literary  productions  of  this  reign  ? 
Who  was  the  most  eminent  philosopher  of  this  reign  1 


350  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

lians  that  ever  lived.  His  father  was  a  gentleman  of  small 
estate  at  Woolstrop,  in  Lincolnshire,  and  died  when  he 
was  very  young.  His  mother  married  again,  and  sir 
Isaac  was  employed  by  his  father-in-law  as  a  shepherd 
boy. 

One  day,  while  Isaac  was  keeping  the  sheep,  a  gentle- 
mar  passing  by  observed  that  he  was  deeply  occupied  in 
some  book,  and  had  the  curiosity  to  ask  him  what  it  was. 
To  his  surprise  he  found  it  was  a  book  of  practical  geo- 
metry. This  circumstance  was  mentioned  to  some  of  his 
mother's  relations,  who  rescued  him  from  his  humble  em- 
ployment, and  placed  him  at  a  school  at  Grantham. 

Newton's  progress  there  was  quite  astonishing,  and  he 
was  "  noted  for  his  strange  inventions  and  extraordinary 
inclination  for  mechanics.  He  had  a  little  shop  of  tools, 
as  little  saws,  hatchets,  and  hammers,  with  which  he  amus- 
ed himself  in  making  models  in  wood  of  various  things." 

Newton's  extreme  modesty  and  gentleness  of  temper 
were  more  extraordinary  than  even  his  talents  and  acquire- 
ments. He  retained  the  full  use  of  his  powers  of  mind  to 
the  last  day  of  a  long  life,  and  was  never  guilty  of  any 
one  excess,  unless  it  might  be  that  of  an  excess  of  study. 


Marlborough  was  a  man  of  extreme  calmness  and  tran- 
quility. Nothing  Hurried,  nothing  disconcerted  him.  His 
judgment  and  presence  of  mind  were  ready  for  all  occa- 
sions. Commanding  an  army  composed  of  officers  and 
men  of  dirTerent  states  and  nations,  whose  interests  were 
perpetually  clashing,  he  listened  to  no  cabals  or  jealousies, 
but  acted  in  a  straight  forward  manner  for  the  public 
cause.  Of  his  command  of  temper  one  very  striking  in- 
stance is  recorded.  It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  duke 
of  Marlborough  was  not  beloved  by  the  English,  but  he 
possessed  some  qualities  worthy  of  respect  and  imitation. 

Prince  Eugene  had  proposed,  at  a  council  of  war,  that 


Was  Newton  distinguished  when  a  child  ? 
Did  Newton  ever  exhibit  a  taste  for  mechanics  ? 
Were  the  moral  qualities  of  Newton  admirable  ? 
Was  the  example  of  Marlborough  worthy  of  imitation  'f 
f>ij  Marlborough  decline  a  challenge  ? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  351 

no  aitack  should  be  made  the  next  day  on  the  enemy 
Though  nothing  evidently  could  be  more  judicious  than 
this  proposal,  the  duke  positively  refused  to  consent  to  it. 
The  prince  called  him  a  coward,  and  challenged  him  ;  but 
Marlborough  kept  his  temper,  and  declined  the  challenge 
On  this  the  prince,  being  violently  enraged, left  the  council 

Early  the  following  morning  prince  Eugene  was  awoke 
by  Marlborough,  who,  coming  to  his  bedside,  desired  him 
to  rise,  as  he  was  preparing  to  make  the  attack,  and  added, 
"  I  could  not  tell  you  my  determination  last  night,  because 
there  was  a  person  present  who  I  knew  was  in  the  enemy's 
interest,  and  would  betray  us.  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall 
conquer,  and  when  the  battle  is  over,  I  will  be  ready  to  ac- 
cept your  challenge." 

Prince  Eugene  was  overpowered  by  Marlborough's 
greatness  of  mind,  and  asked  his  pardon  for  his  own  in- 
temperate conduct.  The  duke  accepted  his  apologies, 
saying,  "  I  thought,  my  dear  prince,  you  would  in  time  be 
satisfied." 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

GEORGE  I. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1714— 1727. J 

Anne  died,  as  has  been  said,  August  1,  1714,  and 
»he  elector  of  Hanover  was  immediately  proclaimed.  He 
arrived  in  England  Sept.  16,  and  was  met  at  Greenwich, 
where  he  landed,  by  many  persons  of  high  office  and  rank 
Amongst  these  was  the  duke  of  Marlborough,  who  had 
lately  returned  to  England,  and  whom,  both  at  this  time, 
and  ever  after,  the  king  treated  with  great  distinction. 
George,  at  his  accession,  was  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age- 
George  was  a  man  of  plain  steady  understanding,  grave 
in  his  mannei,  and  simple  in  his  habits,  and  had  the  repu 


What  reasons  did  Marlborough  offer  for  his  conduct  ? 

Was  prince  Eugene  reconciled  to  the  duke  of  Marlborough? 

Under  what  circumstances  did  George  I.  arrive  in  England  ' 


352  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

tation  of  being  a  sagacious  politician.  He  spoke  English 
very  imperfectly,  and  was  too  much  of  a  German  in  all  hid 
notions  and  habits  to  be  very  popular  in  England. 

George  I.  had  one  son  and  a  daughter.  The  son  had 
married  Caroline,  daughter  of  the  margravine  of  Anspach, 
and  at  the  time  of  his  father's  coming  to  the  throne  had 
three  young  daughters.  He  was  created  prince  of  Wales, 
and  came  with  his  family  to  England  ;  as  did  also  one  oi 
the  king's  brothers,  the  bishop  of  Osnaburg,  who  was  cre- 
ated duke  of  York. 

A  -pv  .„,,  The  spirit  of  party  still  ran  very  high  in 
England.  The  king  showed  a  decided 
preference  for  the  Whigs.  At  this  the  Tories  were  much 
exasperated,  and  they  soon  began  to  show  a  spirit  of  dis- 
affection to  the  house  of  Hanover.  Lord  Oxford,  the  great 
Tory  leader,  was  sent  to  the  Tower,  where  he  remained 
two  years  ;  but  the  two  houses  of  parliament  disagreed  so 
violently  as  to  the  proceedings  to  be  taken  in  regard  to 
him,  that  he  was  at  last  acquitted  without  a  trial.  The 
duke  of  Ormond  and  lord  Bolingbroke  were  impeached, 
but  escaped  to  France.  They  were  then  attainted,  and 
their  names  were  erased  from  the  list  of  English  peer.*. 

These  severities  towards  the  leaders  of  the  Tories  ex- 
cited great  murmurs ;  and  the  Jacobites,  who  had  been 
very  active  ever  since  the  queen's  death,  made  a  strong 
party  in  Scotland.  The  earl  of  Mar  proclaimed  prinre 
James  Stuart,  Sept.  6,  1715,  and  set  up  his  stand?rd. 
James,  however,  was  not  then  in  a  condition  to  come  />nd 
take  the  crown  that  was  proffered  him. 

Louis  XIV.,  who  had  given  the  Pretender  a  small  sup- 
ply of  arms  and  ammunition,  with  the  promise  of  more, 
died  on  the  first  of  September  this  year,  and  the  duke  of 
Orleans,  who  was  regent  of  France  during  the  minoritv  of 
Louis  XV.,  (the  infant  great-grandson  of  the  late  king.) 
was  not  a  friend  to  the  Pretender's  cause. 

The  earl  of  Mar,  nevertheless,  continued  in  arms,  and  at 

Who  were  the  king's  family  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  parties  in  England  m  the  first  years  of   George's 
reign? 

Who  proclaimed  James  Stuart  king  of  England  ? 

How  did  Louis  XIV.  and   his   successor   regard  James  Stuart's  en- 
terprise ? 

Whaf.  Scottish  noOies  befriended  and  opposed  the  Pretender  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  353 

length  assembled  a  body  of  ten  thousand  men,  which  wae 
farther  increased  by  some  English  Jacobites.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  duke  of  Argyle,  who  was  appointed  commander 
of  the  king's  forces  in  Scotland,  advanced  against  the 
rebels  at  the  head  of  his  own  clans,  assisted  by  some 
troops  from  Ireland. 

In  the  meantime  the  Pretender's  party  in  the  north  of 
England  organized  themselves  in  battle  array  :  but  they 
were  encountered  by  the  militia  and  other  troops  sent 
against  them,  and  were  punished  for  their  attempt.  Some 
were  hanged  at  Tyburn  ;  twenty-two  persons  were  execu- 
ted in  Lancashire,  and  about  one  thousand  were  sent  to 
the  North  American  colonies. 

On  December  22,  the  Pretender,  after  having  been  long 
expected,  at  last  arrived  in  Scotland.  He  came  attended 
only  by  six  gentlemen.  The  earl  of  Mar  soon  joined  him, 
and  he  was  proclaimed  king  ;  and  in  the  expectation  that 
all  Scotland  would  rise  in  his  cause  as  one  man,  he  fixed 
Jan.  16,  1716,  for  his  coronation  at  Scone.  But  before 
that  day  arrived,  he  was  so  closely  pursued  by  the  duke 
of  Argyle,  that  he  was  glad  to  abandon  his  rash  enterprise, 
and  to  get  back  again  to  France. 

A    D   1 720  e  atten^on  °f  tne  nation  was  chiefly 

occupied  by  a  scheme  called  the  South 
Sea  Scheme.  It  was  principally  contrived  by  sir  John 
Blunt,  a  busy,  speculating  man  ;  and  the  object  of  it  was 
to  enable  a  company  of  merchants,  called  the  South  Sea 
Company,  to  buy  up  all  the  national  debts  and  concentrate 
them  into  one  fund. 

Many  persons,  in  the  expectation  of  receiving  a  high 
interest,  advanced  large  sums  of  money  towards  this  pur- 
chase ;  but  in  a  few  months  the  whole  was  discovered  to  be 
a  fraudulent  scheme.  The  principal  actors  in  it  were 
punished  by  parliament,  and  measures  were  adopted  to 
give  some  redress  to  the  injured  parties  ;  but  a  very  large 
number  of  the  imprudent  speculators  suffered  severely. 

A  T)  1 727  ^G  king,  wno  was  much  attached  to 
Hanover,  and  had  visited  it  several  times 

How  did  the  English  government  treat  the  Pretender's  adherents  f 
When  did  the  Pretender  land  in  Scotland  ? 
What  speculation  engaged  the  English  natior,  A.  D.  1720  ? 
When  and  where  did  George  I.  die  ? 
16 


354 


ENGL  SH  HISTORY 


set  (tut  with  the  intention  of  going  there  once  mere.  He 
had  got  as  far  as  Delden,  a  small  town  near  the  frontiers 
of  Germany,  when  he  was  taken  extremely  ill.  He  had 
set  his  mind  on  reaching  his  brother's  palace  at  Osnaburg, 
and  ordered  his  people  to  hasten  forwards.  But  he  did  not 
live  to  get  there.  It  was  found,  when  the  carriage  stopped 
at  the  gate  of  the  palace,  that  he  had  already  breathed  his 
last.  He  died  June  11,  1727,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  oi 
his  age,  and  the  thirteenth  of  his  reign. 

George  Augustus, prince  of  Wales,  succeeded  his  father. 


CHAPTER    XXXYTT 

GEORGE  II. 
[Y;ars  after  Christ,  1727— 1700.) 


An  officer  and  sergeant  %n  the  reign  of  George  the  First. 

The  news  of  the  sudden  death  of  George  I.  reached  Lon 
don  June  1 4,  and  George  II.  was  proclaimed  the  next  day. 
He  was  in  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age.  His  abilities 
were  inferior  to  those  of  his  father,  and  his  temper  hasty 
He  was  simple  in  all  his  tastes  and  habits,  and  singularly 


Wlut  wap  the  character,  and  who  composed  the  family  of  George  II. 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  355 

methodical.  His  strongest  feeling,  and  that  which  more 
than  any  other  governed  his  conduct,  was  his  preference 
of  Hanover  to  England. 

Queen  Caroline  united  brilliant  beauty  to  a  strong  un- 
derstanding, and  great  goodness  of  heart.  When  George 
II.  came  to  the  throne,  he  had  two  sons  :  Frederick,  the 
eldest,  was  twenty  years  old  ;  Willism,  afterwards  duke  of 
Cumberland,  was  only  six  years  old.  He  had  also  four 
daughters. 

A    T)   1 7^fi      ^^e  Prnice  °f  Wales  married  the  prin- 

A.  U.  I7db.  cess  0f  saxe_Gotha.  In  1737  the  queen 
died,  and  the  king's  grief  for  her  loss  was  sincere  and  ex- 
cessive. In  the  same  year  a  war  broke  out  between  Eng- 
land and  Spain  ;  and  admiral  Vernon  took  Portobello  a 
Spanish  settlement  on  the  isthmus  of  Darien. 

A  D  1 74^  About  this  time  the  peace  of  the  continent 
was  disturbed  by  a  contest  for  the  impe- 
rial  throne.  The  emperor  Charles  VI.  died,  leaving  an 
only  daughter,  Maria  Theresa,  married  to  prince  Francis 
of  Lorraine.  The  claim  of  Maria  Theresa  was  disputed 
by  the  elector  of  Bavaria  ;  and  nearly  all  Europe  entered 
into  the  quarrel.  The  king  of  France  took  the  part  of 
elector  of  Bavaria. 

The  king  of  England  engaged  on  the  side  of  Maria 
Theresa,  and  sent  to  the  continent  an  army  of  16,000  men, 
under  lord  Stair,  which  was  afterwards  increased  by  an 
equal  number  of  Hanoverians.  In  the  cause  of  Maria 
Theresa,  the  king  and  his  son,  the  duke  of  Cumberland, 
displayed  considerable  military  talent ;  but  England,  in  the 
meantime,  was  suffering  by  the  projects  of  the  Pretender. 

In  the  beginning  of  1744,  an  invasion  of  England  had 
been  attempted  by  a  French  force  of  15,000  men,  under  the 
convoy  of  twenty  ships  of  the  line.  James  himself,  not 
having  sufficient  activity  to  engage  personally  in  this  expe- 
dition, deputed  prince  Charles  Edward,  his  eldest  son,  to 
loin  in  it.     But  though  this  expedition  was  rendered  abor- 


What  took  place  in  173G  and  1737  . 

The  imperial  throne,  that  is,  the  empirs  of  Germany,  was  congested  for 
oy  whom  ? 

What  part  was  taken  by  Engfand  in  this  war? 

Did  the  Stuarts,  aided  by  F  ance,  renew  their  attempt-.)  to  reinstate 
themselves  in  England  "* 


356  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

live,  prince  Charles  ventured  in  the  following  year  to  try 
his  fortune  in  the  northern  part  of  the  island. 

Having  procured  a  sum  of  money,  and  a  small  suppty  of 
arms,  on  his  own  credit,  prince  Charles  sent  to  inform  hie 
friends  in  Scotland  that  he  hoped  soon  to  be  with  them. 
In  June,  1745,  he  embarked  with  a  few  Scotch  and  Irish 
gentlemen  in  a  small  frigate  ;  but  the  vessel  which  carried 
a  supply  of  arms  for  the  expedition,  was  disabled  in  the 
passage.  Meanwhile  the  frigate  pursued  her  destined 
course.  On  the  16th  of  July  Charles  landed  at  Borodale, 
in  Lochaber,  and  was  soon  joined  by  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  Highlanders. 

A  moment  more  favorable  for  this  enterprise  could  not 
have  been  chosen.  The  king  of  England  was  in  Hanover ; 
the  duke  of  Cumberland,  with  the  most  serviceable  part  of 
the  army,  was  in  Flanders ;  and  the  ministers  and  parlia- 
ment were  divided  by  political  disputes  :  but  Charles  could 
not  make  the  most  of  these  advantages  ;  his  want  of  arms, 
and  the  loss  of  the  officers  who  were  to  have  come,  but 
were  prevented,  disabling  him  from  making  any  attack  on 
the  strong  English  garrisons,  which  were  in  the  heart  of 
the  country,  at  Fort  William  and  Fort  Augustus. 

The  news  of  the  Pretender's  arrival  in  Scotland,  threw 
all  England  into  commotion.  The  lords  regent,  to  whom 
the  conduct  of  affairs  had  been  left  during  the  king's  ab- 
sence, sent  to  hasten  his  return ;  and  in  the  meantime  issued 
a  proclamation,  offering-a  reward  of  30,000/.  to  any  one 
who  would  seize  Charles  Stuart.  Charles,  in  retaliation, 
set  the  same  price  on  the  head  of  the  elector  of  Hanover. 

The  prince,  advancing  to  Perth,  proclaimed  his  father 
king.  His  army  stir,  kept  gathering  numbers  ;  and,  Sept. 
16,  he  took  possession  of  the  town  of  Edinburgh.  The 
castle,  however,  still  held  out.  General  Guest,  an  expe- 
rienced officer,  commanded  there  ;  and,  having  a  strong 
garrison,  was  determined  to  stand  a  siege. 

Sir  John  Cope,  meanwhile,  who  commanded  the  king's 


When  did  prince  Charles  Edward  land  in  Scotland  ? 
What  circumstances  favored  or  retarded  Edward's  project? 
What  effect  was  produced  by  the  appearance   of  the  Prett?ndci 
England  ? 
Did  the  Pretender  take  Edinburgh  ? 
What  was  the  result  of  the  battle  w»  Preston-pans  T 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  357 

forces  in  Scotland,  approached  Edinburgh  w  ith  all  the 
troops  he  could  muster ;  and,  Sept.  20th,  he  encamped 
about  nine  miles  from  the  town,  at  Preston  pans.  The  next 
morning  Charles  marched  to  meet  him ;  and  the  half-armed 
Highlanders  attacked  the  king's  troops  with  so  much  fury, 
that  the  cavalry  fled  with  precipitation.  The  total  defeat 
of  the  infantry  soon  followed.  They  fled,  leaving  on  the 
field  all  their  baggage,  and,  what  the  prince  wanted  most 
of  all,  their  arms,  ammunition,  and  a  train  of  field  artillery. 

By  this  victory  the  rebels  acquired  possession  of  a  con- 
siderable part  of  Scotland.  The  castle  of  Edinburgh  still 
held  out,  and  was  blockaded  by  the  rebels.  Charles,  how- 
ever, at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  the  inhabitants  whom 
general  Guest  had  alarmed  by  the  threat  of  destroying  the 
town,  and  indeed  by  actually  beginning  to  fire  on  it,  raised 
the  blockade ;  that  is,  he  ceased  the  attempt  to  take  the 
castle — he  withdrew  his  troops. 

The  popularity  at  this  time  of  the  Pretender's  cause  was 
greatly  increased  by  the  good  conduct  of  the  prince  him- 
self, who  showed  himself  both  vigorous  in  action  and  pru- 
dent in  council,  and  bore  his  success  with  moderation. 
The  king  of  France,  seeing  that  his  affairs  were  prosper- 
ous, sent  him  a  supply  of  small  arms,  cannon  and  officers, 
and  promised  him  that  a  large  body  of  French  should  be 
landed  in  the  south  of  England. 

On  this  assurance  Charles  passed  the  borders  of  Scot- 
land. He  entered  Carlisle  Nov.  6th.  Leaving  a  garri- 
son there,  he  marched  onwards  ;  and  on  November  29th 
fixed  his  head-quarters  at  Manchester.  He  was  there 
jomed  bv  about  two  hundred  English  Jacobites,  and  then 
poceeded  to  Derby. 

The  rebel  army  was  now  within  four  days'  march  of 
London.  Indescribable  alarm  and  consternation  prevailed 
m  that  city.  Those  who  were  in  London  fled  into  the 
country,  while  those  in  the  country  flew  to  London,  every 
person  thinking  the  place  he  was  in  the  place  of  danger. 
The   king,  who  had  returned  from  Germany  on  the  flrsf 


Di  1  prince  Charles  take  Edinburgh  castle  ? 

Did  the  French  nation  afford  further  aid  to  the  Pretender's  cause  T 
How  far  did  prince  Charles  advance  into  England  ? 
How  were  the  people  of  London  affected,  and  how  did  Goorgf  II.  moel 
thid  emergency  ? 


353  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

summons,  was  all  activity,  and  intended  to  have  taken  the 
field  in  person. 

Prince  Charles's  army  was  sometimes  successful ;  bul 
a  final  battle  between  his  adherents  and  the  English  army 
took  place  at  Culloden,  in  Scotland,  April,  1746. 

The  fatal  action  of  Culloden  over,  Charles,  seeing  that 
all  was  lost,  rode  off  the  field  with  a  few  followers  These 
he  soon  dismissed,  and  led  a  wandering  life  for  nearly 
five  months,  concealing  himself  in  different  parts  of  the 
Highlands,  and  owing  his  preservation  to  the  fidelity  ol 
the  poor  inhabitants,  who  could  not  be  tempted  to  betray 
him  by  the  great  reward  which  was  offered  for  his  appre- 
hension, and  who  concealed  him  in  their  huts  and  caves, 
at  the  risk  of  their  own  lives. 

At  last  Charles,  with  a  few  faithful  friends,  found  means 
to  get  on  board  a  French  privateer.  Under  the  shelter  of 
a  thick  fog  he  passed  through  the  midst  of  a  British  squad- 
ron ;  and  at  last,  after  many  difficulties  and  dangers, 
landed  safely  at  Morlaix,  in  Bretagne  ;  but  so  worn  out  by 
the  fatigues  and  hardships  he  had  undergone,  that  he  was 
scarcely  to  be  known  as  the  same  handsome  sprightly 
youth  who  had  left  France  full  of  animation  and  hope  the 
year  before. 

Frightful  scenes  followed  in  Scotland  after  the  decisive 
victory  at  Culloden.  It  is  deeply  afflicting  that  the  reputa- 
tion of  a  brave  man  should  be  sullied  by  such  dreadful 
cruelties  as  must  ever  stain  the  memory  of  the  duke  of 
Cumberland,  who  commanded  the  king's  forces.  It  is 
said  that,  in  a  district  of  nearly  fifty  miles  round  Lochiel, 
there  was,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  neither  house  nor 
cottage,  neither  men  nor  cattle  to  be  seen  ;  so  complete 
was  the  ruin,  silence,  and  desolation. 

The  jails  in  England  were  filled  with  rebels,  whose  trials 
now  followed.  Many  were  executed^ — many  were  trans- 
ported to  the  plantations  in  America,  and  some  few  were 


What  action  finished  the  enterprise  of  prince  Charles  ? 

Whither  did  Charles  go,  after  the  battle  of  Culloden,  and  what  a£miru 
bio  integrity  and  fidelity  was  shown  by  some  of  his  adherents  ? 

How  did  Charles  appear  when  he  returned  to  France  ? 

Did  the  English  government  treat  the  rebels  with  generosity  and 
'mmanity  ? 

What  punishments  were  inflicted  upon  the  leaders  ot  the  rebellion  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  35$ 

pardoned.  Lords  Balmerino,  Kilmarnock,  and  Lovat,  and 
Mr.  RatclilTe,  who  were  among  the  principal  persons  con 
cerned  in  the  rebellion,  were  conveyed  to  London  and 
executed. 

The  rebellion  being  subdued,  the  duke  of  Cumberland 
returned  to  the  allied  army  in  Flanders,  where  the  war 
continued  a  short  time  longer.  At  length  a  general  peace 
was  signed  at  Aix-la-Chapelle,  October  7th,  1748. 

A  series  of  encroachments  made  by  France  on  the 
British  colonies  in  North  America,  gave  rise,  a  few  years 
afterwards,  to  a  new  war  with  that  country,  which  broke 
out  in  the  year  1755.  This  war  involved  eventually  the 
whole  of  Europe,  and  is  often  entitled  the  seven  years 
war.  In  its  commencement  it  proved  unfavorable  to  Eng- 
land. 

The  English  colonies,  those  which  are  now  entitled  the 
United  States  of  America,  were  on  their  western  side 
greatly  exposed  to  the  French,  who  possessed  both  Lou- 
isiana and  Canada,  and  were  attempting  to  connect  them 
by  a  chain  of  forts,  stretching  in  the  rear  of  the  English 
settlements.  The  French  had  instigated  also  many  of 
the  native  tribes  of  the  Americans  to  join  in  attacks  on 
the  English  provinces. 

In  the  commencement  of  these  disputes  in  America, 
general  Washington,  who  afterwards  gained  so  much  dis- 
tinction in  the  war  which  ended  in  releasing  the  United 
States  from  their  dependency  on  England,  first,  signalized 
himself  though  then  a  very  young  officer,  by  his  conduct 
of  an  expedition  sent  from  Virginia  to  watch  the  motions 
of  the  French  on  the  river  Ohio. 

In  1756  several  expeditions  were  undertaken  by  the 
English  commanders  in  America,  but  the  more  consider 
able  of  them  failed  of  success.  The  operations  of  the 
year  1757  were  also  unfavorable  in  that  quarter  to  the 
British  arms  :  but  in  the  year  following  the  fortunes  of  the 
war  appeared  to  take  a  decisive  turn ;  and  in  1759  and 
1700  the  whole  province  of  Canada  was  subdued,  and  the 


When  was  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  signed? 

"What  war  broke  out  in  1755  ? 

Were  the  English  colonists  in  America  disturbed  by  the  Frenob  ? 

When  did  Washington  first  distinguish  himself  ? 

Was  the  French  power  in  America  .incited  by  the  English  ? 


UGO  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

French  power  was  annihilated  in  that  part  of  llit  Ameri- 
can continent. 

This  great  object,  however,  was  not  achieved  without 
the  loss  of  one  of  the  most  popular  and  distinguished  com 
manders  whom  the  English  army  has  ever  had  to  boast  of; 
namely,  general  Wolfe,  who  was  Killed  in  the  moment  of 
victory  at  the  siege  of  Quebec,  in  1759. 

In  the  meantime  the  war  was  carried  on  in  Eurcpe  with 
great  animosity.  France  attacked  and  took  possession  of 
Hanover.  The  northern  European  powers,  except  Prus- 
sia, and  its  king,  Frederick  the  Great,  were  combined 
against  the  king  of  England.  But  Frederick's  sagacity 
and  military  skill  finally  extricated  him  from  the  hazard- 
ous situation  in  which  he  was  placed  by  the  combination 
of  so  many  enemies. 

Frederick  was  assisted  both  with  money  and  troops  from 
England,  where  the  energy  of  a  very  able  minister,  Mr. 
Pitt,  afterwards  earl  of  Chatham,  infused  great  spirit  into 
the  conduct  of  affairs.  In  the  battle  of  Minden,  which 
was  fought  in  1759,  the  English  forces  had  a  considera- 
ble share.  Lord  Clive  was  very  successful  in  the  East 
Indies  ;  and  at  sea  the  English  flag  was  triumphant  over 
the  French. 

The  king  was  now  become  an  old  man  ;  but  he  enjoyed 
a  degree  of  health  and  bodily  vigor  very  unusual  at  his 
advanced  age,  and  which  seemed  to  give  the  promise  of  a 
much  longer  life.  But,  October  25,  1760,  George  II.  died 
suddenly 

Political  parties  ran  very  high  in  this  reign.  Sir  Robert 
Walpole,  sir  William  Pulteney,  Mr.  Pelham,  the  duke  of 
Newcastle,  and  Mr.  Pitt,  afterwards  earl  of  Chatham,  were 
successively  leaders  of  the  administration 


The  names  of  Anson,  Hawke,  and  Boscawen,  arc  the 
most  distinguished  in  the  naval  history  of  this  reign. 
The  sequel  of  the  history  of  the  misguided  andunfomi- 

Where  was  general  Wolfe  killed  ? 

Was  the  continental  warfare  of  Europe  still  in  operation  ? 

What  were  the  successes  in  England  in  1759  ? 

When  did  George  II.  die  ? 

Who  were  the  principal  ministers  of  George  II.  ? 

Who  were  the  principal  naval  commanders  of  the  rc!gn  of  George  U 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  361 

riate  prince  Charles,  may  properly  be  added  in  this  place. 
Soon  after  his  return  to  France,  Louis,  in  consequence  ol 
one  of  the  conditions  of  peace  in  the  treaty  of  Aix-la-Cha- 
pelle  in  1748,  withdrew  his  protection  from  him.  He  then 
retired  into  the  territories  of  the  pope.  He  for  a  long  time 
kept  up  a  secret  correspondence  with  the  English  Jacob- 
ites ;  and  once,  if  not  oftener,  he  came  privately  to  London. 

After  a  time,  prince  Charles  disgusted  his  friends  by  his 
misconduct,  and  they  totally  abandoned  his  cause.  This 
prince,  who  excited  so  much  sympathy  in  his  youth,  and 
seemed  then  to  possess  many  hopeful  qualities,  degenera- 
ted afterwards  into  a  vicious  character.  He  assumed  the 
name  of  count  D' Albany,  and  died  in  1784,  unpitied  and 
unlamented. 

Prince  Charles  had  an  only  brother,  the  cardinal  of 
York,  who,  after  his  brother's  death,  sometimes  assumed 
the  name  of  Henry  IX.  He  lived  to  be  an  old  man,  and 
died  at  Rome  in  1807.  In  him  the  unfortunate  family  of 
Stuart  became  extinct. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

GEORGE  III. 

[Years  after  Christ,  17G0— 1789.] 

George  III.  had  completed  his  twenty-second  year,  when 
the  death  of  his  grandfather  placed  him  on  the  throne.  He 
had  resided  with  his  mother,  the  princess  dowager  of 
YWes,  between  whom  and  George  II.  there  existed  no 
cordiality ;  and  having  thus  been  in  a  manner  excluded 
from  court,  and  not  interfering  in  any  of  the  political  par- 
ties of  the  day,  he  had  led  what  might  be  called  a  retired 
life,  associating  only  with  the  small  but  select  circle  which 
was  collected  round  the  princess. 


What  became  of  prince  Charles  Edward  ? 
What  was  the  termination  of  Charles's  life  ? 
Who  was  the  last  of  the  Stuarts? 

Under  what  circumstances  did  George  III.  succeed  to  the  throne  of 
Britain  ? 


362  ENGLISH   HISl^RY 

This  was  in  some  respects  a  disadvantage  to  him,  as  it 
gave  him  an  awkward  manner,  which  an  earlier  introduc 
tion  to  general  society  might  have  remedied.  His  usual 
way  of  speaking  was  hurried  and  confused  ;  but  when  he 
was  called  on  to  speak  in  public,  his  delivery  was  grace 
ful  and  impressive. 

The  ruling  principle  of  his  mind  was  religion.  George 
III.  found  his  greatest  happiness  in  the  tranquility  of  do- 
mestic life,  and  it  has  been  said  of  him  that  a  better  father, 
husband,  son,  and  brother,  never  existed.  His  heart  wae 
open  not  only  to  kindly  affections  towards  his  own  family, 
but  also  to  a  general  good  will  towards  mankind.  His 
charities  were  extensive  and  judicious,  and  there  is  not 
one  cruel  or  unfeeling  action  recorded  of  him  during  the 
course  of  his  long  life. 

George  III.  married  August  7,  1761,  Charlotte,  prin- 
cess of  Mechlenburgh  Strelitz.  The  last  public  service 
which  the  veteran  admiral  lord  Anson  performed  was  that 
of  bringing  the  new  queen  to  England. 

The  war  was  for  sometime  continued  with  vigor,  though 
the  nation  was  become  weary  at  the  great  expense  at  which 
it  was  carried  on,  particularly  of  the  expenses  which  were 
lavished  in  Germany.  Proposals  were  made  for  a  general 
peace  ;  but  these  were  overruled,  and  Spain  taking  part 
with  France  against  England,  engaged  that  nation  against 
the  Spaniards.  Some  British  forces  were  sent  to  the  de- 
fence of  Portugal,  and  the  Spaniards,  who  made  an  inva- 
sion of  that  country  were  repulsed. 

Amongst  the  events  of  this  busy  time,  it  is  difficult  to 
select  the  most  important.  It  must  suffice  now  to  say  that 
the  British  arms  were  every  where  successful.  Several 
valuable  islands  in  the  West  Indies  were  taken  from 
France.  The  rich  town  of  the  Havana,  in  Cuba,  Ma 
nilla,  in  ffie  East  Indies,  and  the  rest  of  the  Philippine, 
islands,  were  taken  from  Spain ;  and  many  considerable 
prizes  were  made  at  sea. 


Was  George  III.  a  good  man  ? 
Who  was  the  queen  of  George  III.  f 

Was  the  continental  war  popular  in  England,  and  how  wm  it  extended 
to  Spain  ? 
"Were  the  British  successful  in  the  war? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  3G3 

France  and  Spain  became  at  last  anxious  to  put  an  end 
to  a  war  which  had  proved  so  disastrous  to  them,  particu- 
larly to  the  latter,  and  a  general  peace  was  concluded  at 
Paris  on  the  10th  of  February,  1763. 

By  this  peace,  the  island  of  Minorca,  several  islands 
in  the  West  Indies,  and  Goree,  in  Africa,  were  restored 
to  France.  The  river  Senegal  was  given  up  to  England. 
In  the  East  Indies  all  the  forts  and  factories  taken  from 
tike  French  were  restored.  The  Havana  was  restored  to 
Spain,  and  the  Spaniards  in  return  ceded  Florida  to  the 
English,  and  agreed  also  to  make  peace  with  Portugal. 


The  history  of  political  parties  in  Britain  cannot  be  in- 
telligible to  young  readers  ;  and  the  history  of  the  war  of 
England  with  the  American  colonies  belongs  to  American 
history — to  that  we  refer  the  student. 

The  country  now  called  the  United  States  of  America, 
was  originally  peopled  by  English  and  other  Europeans, 
and  was  governed  by  the  laws  of  England.  The  first  emi- 
gration began  in  1607,  and  in  1764,  the  country  had  be- 
come populous  and  wealthy.  The  English  government 
levied  taxes  on  the  Americans,  which  the  latter  deemed 
oppressive  and  refused  to  pay. 

From  this  dispute  arose  a  war  of  seven  years  duration. 
Hostilities  commenced  in  1775,  and  continued  till  the  17th 
of  October,  1781,  when  lord  Cornwallis,  the  British  com- 
mander, surrendered  to  general  Lincoln,  an  officer  com- 
manding under  Washington,  the  American  commander-in- 
chief.     France  took  part  with  the  colonies  duriug  the  war. 

The  success  of  the  Americans  in  this  contest  was  due 
to  the  justice  of  their  cause  ;  to  an  indomitable  spirit  of 
civil  liberty  which  grew  primarily  from  the  sense  of 
their  own  moral  dignity,  and  inherent  power ;  and  also, 


When  was  a  general  peace  concluded  1 

How  were  colonial  possessions  apportioned  by  the  peace  of  17G3  i 

Is  the  history  of  political  parties  intelligible  to  the  young  ? 

What  was  the  cause  of  hostility  between  Britain  and  tho  American 
Oolonies  ? 

What  was  the  duration  of  the  war  of  independence,  and  what  part  in 
it  waa  taken  by  the  French  nation  ? 


361  *N«LISH  III3TCRY. 

in  great  measure,  to  the  extraordinary  character  of  Gen- 
eral Washington,  a  true  patriot,  who  thought  nc  thing  of 
his  own  aggrandisement,  and  every  thing  of  acheiving  and 
establishing  American  Independence.  After  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  war,  he  was  twice  elected  President  of  the 
United  States.  In  Jhis  station  his  constant  policy  was  to 
maintain  peace,  with  foreign  nations  and  to  promote  the 
best  interests  of  his  own  country.  He  died  December 
13th,  1799. 

The  war  with  America,  although  very  popular  in  Eng- 
land at  its  commencement,  had  not  been  undertaken  or 
carried  on  without  opposition  from  many  able  men  in  par- 
liament. One  of  the  most  distinguished  of  its  opponents 
was  the  famous  William  Pitt,  earl  of  Chatham.  He 
strongly  resisted  the  taxing  of  America  in  the  first  in- 
stance, and  afterwards  expressed  satisfaction  that  the 
Americans  refused  submission  to  the  tax. 

Lord  Chatham  with  a  wise  foresight  always  predicted 
that  the  colonies  would  succeed  in  their  resistance  to  the 
oppressive  measures  of  the  parent  country.  He  assumed 
the  principle  that  the  moral  energy  of  a  whole  nation  is 
stronger  than  the  physical  power  of  an  invading  army 
and  that,  of  course,  the  attempt  to  compel  the  Americans 
to  abandon  their  fixed  determination  would  ultimately  fail, 
as  the  event  proved. 

Lord  Chatham  was  seventy  years  old,  when  he  appear- 
ed for  the  last  time  in  the  House  of  Lords,  April  1778, 
and  spoke  with  great  eloquence  and  solemnity  upon  the 
question  of  the  American  war  ;  but  while  the  words  of 
remonstrance  rose  to  his  lips,  he  fell  back  in  convulsions 
and  was  immediately  surrounded  by  the  awe-struck  and 
astonished  members.  He  was  soon  conveyed  to  his  own 
house,  but  never  recovered  from  this  fatal  attack.  He 
died  a  few  weeks  after.  The  people  of  England  took  a 
less  enlightened  view  of  the  American  war  ;  generally 
they  were  in  favor  of  it,  and  the  result  was  neither  expec- 
ted by  them,  nor  agreeable  to  their  wishes. 


To  what  causes  may  the  success  of  the  Americans  be  attribtucd  ? 
Did  the  wisest  men  in  England  approve  of  the  war? 
What  was  lord  Chatham's  opinion  of  this  war  . 

How  did  lord  Chatham  die,  and  how  did  ths  English  nation  regard  the 
uonclusion  of  the  war  ? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  365 

France,  during  the  American  war,  had  contrived  to  en- 
list both  Spain  and  Holland  as  her  allies  in  the  war.  Rus- 
sia, also,  Sweden  and  Denmark,  though  they  did  not  actu- 
ally take  part  in  the  war,  yet  were  manifestly  indirect  ene- 
mies of  England,  and  united  to  form  what  was  called  an 
armed  neutrality. 

England,  nevertheless,  anid  all  these  disadvantages, 
maintained  the  contest  with  the  European  powers,  upon  at 
least  equal  terms.  At  sea,  not  to  make  mention  of  other 
indecisive  or  less  important  engagements, her  fleets,  under 
the  command  of  lord  Rodney,  gained  great  victories,  one 
over  the  Spaniards  on  the  16th  January,  1780  ;  anotuer 
over  the  French  fleet  in  the  West  Indies.  Some  islands 
were  taken  in  the  West  Indies  ;  but  on  the  other  hand 
some  were  lost.  In  the  East  Indies  the  British  arms  were 
successful. 

A  Ti  1 7fiS  ^n  ^e  Deomnmo  °f  ^s  year  Peace  was 
concluded  between  the  belligerent  pow- 
ers. England  acknowledged  the  Independence  of  the 
United  States  ;  gave  up  to  France  the  islands  of  St.  Lucia 
and  Tobago,  in  the  West  Indies  ;  the  river  Senegal  and  a 
few  forts  in  Africa  ;  and  made  some  cessions  also  to  the 
same  power  in  the  East  Indies.  Minorca  and  Florida 
were  surrendered  to  Spain. 

The  United  States,  after  the  ratification  of  the  treaty, 
sent  Mr.  Adams,  one  of  the  most  eminent  statesmen,  and 
afterwards  president  of  the  United  States,  in  the  capacity 
of  envoy  to  the  English  court.  The  king,  who  had  pre- 
viously declared  to  some  of  his  attendants  that  he  looked 
forward  to  his  first  interview  with  this  new  minister  as  to 
the  most  critical  moment  of  his  life,  received  him  very 
graciously,  and  said  to  him,  "  I  was  the  last  man  in  the 
kingdom,  sir,  to  consent  to  the  Independence  of  America : 
but,  now  it  is  granted,  I  shall  be  the  last  man  in  the  king- 
lom  to  sanction  a  violation  of  it." 

In  the  beginning  of  this  reig^h  there  was  a  continual 
change  of  ministers.     Lord  Chatham,  the  duke  of  New- 


HDwdid  England  maintain  her  power  against  her  enemies  ? 

What  were  the  important  transactions  of  1783  ? 

What  was  the  reception  of  Mr.  Adams  at  the  court  of  Great  Br! 

tain  ? 


366  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

castle„  lord  Bute,  Mr.  G.  Grenville,  the  marquis  of  Rock 
ingham,  the  duke  of  Grafton,  lord  North,  Mr.  Fox,  and 
lord  Shelburne,  held  successively  the  chief  offices  in  the 
administration.  In  1783,  Mr.  Pitt,  second  son  of  lord 
Chatham,  was  made  prime  minister,  and  with  only  onr 
short  interval  retained  that  nigh  office  twenty-two  years. 


In  the  study  of  history,  the  young  reader  will  often  in- 
quire, Why  do  governments  make  war  1  Why  is  the  his- 
tory of  nations  the  history  of  wars  ?  A  true  history  would 
rather  describe  the  religion  and  manners  of  a  people — the 
arts  which  increase  their  comforts,  and  the  sciences  which 
improve  their  minds,  than  limit  itself  to  the  quarrels  and 
violences  of  nations. 

The  great  men  of  an  age  are  they  who  think  most  pro- 
foundly, and  act  most  worthily,  and  leave  behind  them 
something  to  instruct  those  who  may  live  after  them.  Ba- 
con is  the  great  man  of  James's  reign ;  Milton  is  more 
glorious  than  his  contemporary  Cromwell ;  and  Newton  ten 
thousand  times  superior  to  the  duke  of  Marlborough. 

In  the  progress  of  this  history  we  have  come  to  the  pe- 
riod of  the  French  revolution,  a  change  in  the  French  go- 
vernment into  which  the  English  nation  largely  entered, 
and  it  would  bring  into  view  the  character  and  actions  of 
Napoleon  Bonaparte.  The  events  of  the  revolution  and 
the  genius  of  the  French  Emperor,  are  themes  too  ample 
for  a  few  pages — they  belong  to  the  history  of  France  and 
of  modern  Europe,  and  to  those  histories  the  student  will 
be  referred. 

It  remains  to  say  a  few  words  upon  modern  warfare.  In 
ancient  times,  the  desire  of  property,  of  taking  from  others, 
instead  of  toiling  for  the  fruits  of  the  earth — and,  the  lust 
of  dominion,  that  is,  the  desire  of  the  restless  and  ambi- 
tious, like  Alexander  and  Caesar,  to  be  called  master  and 
monarch  by  millions  of  men,  instigated  military  leaders  to 


What  does  true  history  describe  ? 

Who  are  great  men  ? 

To  what  does  the  history  of  the  French  revolution  belong  ? 

What  were  the  occasions  of  ancient  warfare? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  367 

invade  distant  and  extensive  territories,  and  to  make  sub 
jects  and  slaves  of  the  proper  owners  of  those  territories. 

In  modern  times  the  love  of  wealth  still  urges  plans  of 
dominion,  as  is  shown  in  the  British  conquest  of  India ;  but 
often,  modern  wars  have  been  made  to  preserve  what  has 
been  gained  before  ;  to  establish  certain  principles  ;  to  re- 
pel encroachments  of  other  powers,  and  to  preserve  the 
balance  of  power.  I 

The  revolutionary  war  of  America  was  mutually  carried 
on  by  the  British  and  Americans,  that  the  latter  might  be- 
come an  independent  state  and  govern  themselves  ;  and 
that  the  former  might  preserve  the  power  already  possess- 
ed, and  increase  their  wealth  from  the  growing  resources 
of  their  American  subjects.  Providence  overruled  the 
contest  by  favoring  the  just  cause,  and  frustrating  the 
selfish  policy  of  the  adverse  power. 

Of  wars  to  establish  principles,  the  part  taken  by  the 
English  government  in  the  French  revolutionary  war  is  an 
example.  A  principle  is  a  rule  intended  to  regulate  ac- 
tions, or  it  is  a  truth  that  belongs  to  something.  The  prin- 
ciple assumed  by  the  English  government  was,  hereditary 
princes  shall  reign,  and  their  subjects  shall  not  depose 
them.  Princes  must  be  protected  by  other  princes,  or  all 
munarchs  will  be  in  danger. 

The  balance  of  power  is  a  sort  of  equality  of  princes  and 
nations,  so  that  the  government  of  each  nation  acts  by  its 
own  will,  having  power  to  do  so,  without  fear  of  another 
great  power,  or  danger  from  any  such  power.  If  the  mon- 
archy of  all  continental  Europe  should  declare  against  Eng- 
land, should  seize  the  English  colonies,  and  could  by  their 
combined  fleets  drive  English  ships  from  every  sea,  the 
balance  of  power  in  Europe  would  be  destroyed,  and  Eng- 
land would  be  insignificant.  When  the  English  have  seen 
governments  uniting  against  them,  they  have  declared  war 
and  humbled  the  powers  that  would  humble  them,  and 
thus  prevented  for  any  longtime,  the  existence  of  an  over- 
whelming dominion  in  Europe. 


What  are  the  occasions  of  modem  wars  ? 

What  were  the  respective   motives  of  the  English  and  Amci'cans  in 
the  levolutionary  war  ? 
Why  did  the  British  take  part  in  the  French  revolution  ? 
V,  hat  is  intended  by  the  phrase  balance  of  powei  * 


3G8  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

France  is  one  of  the  most  populous  and  highly  oivLized 
countries  of  all  Europe,  but  the  state  of  the  nation  towards 
the  close  of  the  last  century  was  truly  unhappy.  The 
wealth  of  the  country,  that  is,  the  soil  and  the  money,  chief- 
ly belonged  to  two  classes  of  persons — the  nobility  and  the 
ecclesiastics.  The  nobles  owned  very  extensive  estates, 
and  the  convents,  that  is,  communities  of  monks  and  nunfi, 
possessed  also  great  tracts  of  land  and  large  revenues. 

There  were  indeed  merchants,  mechanics,  and  laborers, 
but  all  these  were  enormously  taxed  to  maintain  an  extra- 
vagant court,  to  make  roads  and  fortifications,  and  to  pay 
other  public  expenses ;  while  the  nobles  and  the  clergy  were, 
as  much  as  possible,  exempted  from  all  burdens,  and  lived 
for  the  most  part  in  idleness  and  luxury ;  the  poor  people, 
moreover,  were  left  in  extreme  ignorance. 

The  sufferings  of  the  poor,  and  the  want  of  money  to 
carry  on  the  government,  made  it  necessary  to  change  the 
laws,  in  order  to  relieve,  if  practicable,  the  distresses  of  the 
nation.  A  convention  of  deputies  was  called  from  the 
different  provinces  of  the  kingdom  for  this  purpose.  This 
convention,  and  that  party  in  the  country  who  preferred 
the  established  order  of  things,  could  not  agree  in  the 
means  of  redress,  and  a  frightful  state  of  anarchy  and 
bloodshed  followed. 

The  party  opposed  to  the  ancient  regime,  or  established 
rule,  became  so  exasperated  against  the  king,  Louis  XVI., 
his  family,  and  all  their  adherents,  that,  after  a  trial  before 
the  convention,  they  pronounced  sentence  of  death  upon 
Louis.  Afterwards  the  queen,  and  great  numbers  of  per- 
sons of  high  rank  and  great  worth,  were  beheaded  foi 
what  was  called  political  offences,  which  signified  that  they 
were  attached  to  old  institutions,  or  wished  to  restrain  the 
violences  of  the  revolutionists.  This  period  of  the  revolu- 
tion has  been  aptly  termed  the  reign  of  terror. 

The  English  government  assumed  the  principle,  that  it 


What  was  the  condition  of  the  French  people  towards  the  close  of  Xhe 
18th  century  ? 

What  were  the  relative  advantages  of  the  higher  and  lower  clusste  ~f 
France  ? 

Who  inflamed  the  passions  of  the  French  people  ? 

What  is  signified  by  the  phrase — Reign  of  Terror  ? 

What  part  v  as  taken  by  the  English  towards  the  French  1 


ENGLISH  liiSTOKY  309 

way  the  cause  of  humanity,  and  of  all  just  government,  not 
to  acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  French  Republic,  and 
to  take  up  arms  to  reinstate  the  monarchy,  and  punish  the 
usurpation.  There  were  many  persons  in  England  who 
thought  their  government  had  no  proper  concern  in 
French  affairs.  Mr.  Pitt,  the  son  of  lord  Chatham,  and 
prime  minister  in  England  promoted  the  war  with  France, 
and  Mr.  Fox  a  very  able  and  distinguished  statesman  waa 
among  the  chief  leaders  of  the  opposite  party. 

A    D   17Q9      Some  of  the  continental  powers  also  took 

part  in  the  French  contest.     Prussia  and 

Austria  united  to  restore  the  authority  of  Louis  while  that 

unfortunate  monarch  was  a  prisoner.     Louis  was  executed 

Jan.  1st,  1793. 

Such  was  the  commencement  of  a  most  unparalled  con- 
test, which,  with  little  intermission, distracted  Europe  for 
above  twenty  years,  and  was  attended  with  a  series  oi 
more  signal  events  than  any  other,  perhaps,  in  the  history, 
of  the  world. 

Holland  was  among  the  countries  that  opposed  the 
French  revolution,  but  the  French  took  Amsterdam  on  the 
16th  of  January,  1795.  The  rest  of  Holland,  and  the 
other  provinces,  then  submitted,  and  taking  the  title  of  the 
Batavian  republic,  entered  into  an  alliance  with  France. 

Before  that  time  the  duke  of  York,  the  king  of  Eng- 
land's second  son,  was  sent  from  England  to  the  assistance 
of  the  Dutch,  with  a  considerable  army  under  his  com- 
mand. In  this  campaign  he  had  some  partial  success ; 
but  in  1794  he  was  compelled  to  retire. 

From  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  the  French 
arms  were  eminently  successful.  From  the  year  1796  to 
1815  the  history  of  France  is  connected  with  the  great 
talent,  and  extraordinary  fortunes  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte, 
whose  history  is  itself  a  study,  and  cannot  be  detailed  here 
Bonaparte's  vigilance  was  actively  engaged  against  the 
enlargement  of  English  power. 


What  part  was  taken  by  the  continental  powers,  &c.  T 
What  happened  in  Hollnnd  1~94— 95  ? 

What  eminent  individual  distinguished  himself  in  Europe  from  17yt> 
till  1615? 


370  ENGLISH  HIS10RY. 

A  D  1797  J3urmg  this  year,  however,  two  great  n* 
val  victories  were  gained  :  one  over  the 
Spaniards,  who  had  been  prevailed  on  to  declare  wai 
against  England ;  the  other  over  the  Batavian  republic 
The  first  of  these  actions  was  fought  off  Cape  St.  Vincent 
on  the  14th  of  February.  The  Spanish  fleet,  amounting 
to  twenty-seven  sail  of  the  line,  was  attempting  to  join  a 
French  armament,  but  was  attacked  and  completely  de- 
feated by  sir  John  Jervis,  afterwards  created  earl  St.  Vin- 
cent. The  battle  with  the  Dutch  was  fought  on  the  1 1th 
of  October.  Admiral  Duncan,  who  commanded  the  Eng- 
lish fleet  on  this  occasion,  was  also  raised  to  the  peerage. 

On  October  17th  a  definitive  treaty  of  peace  between 
France  and  Austria  was  signed  at  Campo  Formio,  in  Ita- 
ly:  and  thus  England  was  left  alone  in  the  great  contest 
which  she  was  carrying  on  against  her  powerful  enemy. 

A  D  1 7QR  ^n  ^e  meetmg  °f  parliament  in  January, 
the  king  intimated  that  he  had  received 
intelligence  of  a  design  entertained  by  the  French  govern- 
ment to  attempt  the  invasion  of  England.  Whether  this 
danger  was  real  or  only  imaginary,  it  had  the  effect  of 
uniting  men  of  all  parties  in  England  in  one  common  bond 
for  the  public  safety. 

In  the  summer  of  the  same  year  a  serious  rebellion  broke 
out  in  Ireland,  which  raged  chiefly  in  the  counties  of 
Wicklow  and  Wexford.  This  rebellion  was,  however, 
soon  suppressed ;  chiefly  by  the  prudence  of  marquis  Corn- 
wallis,  who  on  this  occasion  was  appointed  lord  lieute- 
nant ;  and  a  body  of  about  one  thousand  French  troops, 
who  disembarked  at  Killala  on  the  12th  August,  surren- 
dered on  the  8th  of  September. 

A   D    1 70S      Bonaparte  sailed  from  Toulon  with  an 

armament,  consisting  of  thirteen  ships  of 

the  line,  six  frigates,  and  transports,  containing,  an  army 

of  30,000  men.    He  took  Malta,  and  thence  proceeded  to 

Egyp^  with  the  view  of  fcrming  a  settlement  there,  whir.h 


What  memorable  naval  battles  took  place  1797  ? 

When  was  England  left  alone  in  the  war  with  Franc 

What  alarmeo  the  English  nation  in  1798  ? 

When  did  reDellion  break  out  m  Ireland? 

Wbtit  motive  induced  Bonaparte  to  gu  to  Egypt? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  371 

might  afford  means  for  making  some  future  attack,  by  way 
either  of  the  Red  Sea  or  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  on  the  Bri- 
tish dominions  in  India.  He  was  pursued  to  Egypt  by 
admiral  Nelson ;  who,  on  his  arrival,  found  the  French 
fleet  at  anchor  in  Aboukir  Bay. 

An  engagement  followed,  in  which  the  English  obtained 
a  signal  victory.  The  battle  lasted  through  the  night. 
T/Orient,  the  French  admiral's  ship,  a  vessel  of  120  guns, 
was  blown  up  at  midnight  with  a  terrible  explosion  ;  and 
when  the  morning  arrived,  only  two  ships  of  the  line  and 
two  frigates  remained  of  the  whole  French  fleet.  All  the 
rest  were  either  taken  or  destroyed.  On  the  occasion  of 
this  achievement,  Admiral  Nelson  was  created  a  peer,  by 
the  title  of  Baron  Nelson  of  the  Nile. 

The  war  on  the  continent  was  renewed  in  1799,  and  in 
the  autumn  of  that  year  an  English  army,  under  the  com- 
mand of  sir  Ralph  Abercrombie,  was  disembarked  at  the 
Helder  Point  in  Holland.  The  duke  of  York  afterwards 
took  the  command  ;  but  the  enterprise  finally  miscarried, 
and  the  troops  re-embarked  and  returned  to  England. 

The  French  government,  at  the  close  of  this  campaign, 
underwent  a  new  and  remarkable  change,  the  more  re- 
markable from  its  direct  connection  with  the  extraordinary 
fortunes  of  Bonaparte.  That  general,  though  the  fleet 
which  conveyed  him  to  Egypt  was  entirely  destroyed  by 
lord  Nelson,  had  conquered  Egypt,  and  had  invaded  Sy- 
ria ;  but  found  his  career  stopped  at  Acre  by  Ghezar,  the 
Turkish  pasha,  assisted  by  some  English  troops,  under 
sir  Sidney  Smith,  who  distinguished  himself  greatly  in  the 
defence  o    that  town. 

Bonaparte,  repulsed  from  Acre,  returned  to  Egypt,  and 
then  ventured  on  a  step,  the  singular  success  of  which 
must  always  be  ranked  among  the  most  extraordinary  parts 
of  his  history.  Having  received  intelligence  of  great  dis- 
contents in  France,  he  resolved  even  to  forsake  the  army 
fie  commanded,  in  order  to  try  his  fortune  at  home  in  this 
troubled  state  of  public  affairs. 


Who  was  defeated  at  the  bat'le  of  the  Nile  ? 
Were  ths  English  troops  successful  in  1799  ? 

Was    Bonaparte  successfnl    in    Egypt,  and  who  repulsed  hirn    in 
Turkey  f 
Why  did  Bonapartt  leave  the  army  in  Egypt  ? 


372  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Bonaparte  escaped  from  Egypt  in  August,  1799  ;  mil 
immediately  on  his  arrival  in  Paris,  was  able  to  effect  a 
dissolution  of  the  government.  The  directory  was  abolish 
ed,  and  the  executive  administration  was  committed  to 
three  consuls,  of  whom  he  procured  himself  to  be  made 
the  chief. 

A  D  1 ROO  ^n  *^s  year  was  accomplished  a  legisla 
tive  union  between  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land ;  nearly  on  the  same  principles  on  which  in  the  reign 
of  qaeen  Anne,  the  union  had  been  framed  between  Eng- 
land and  Scotland.  Twenty-eight  peers,  and  one  hundred 
commoners,  were  admitted  from  Ireland  into  the  English 
parliament ;  or  rather  into  the  parliament  of  the  united 
kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland ;  the  title  which 
was  now  formally  adopted  as  the  proper  designation  of  the 
British  isles. 

A  T)  1 R01  ^°  ^s  year  Denmark,  Sweden,  and  Rus- 
sh,  were  suspected  by  the  English  go- 
vernment of  a  combination  to  restrain  the  maritime  power 
of  Britain.  To  counteract  this  confederacy,  an  armament 
under  admiral  sir  Hyde  Parker,  but  of  which  lord  Nelson 
was  the  efficient  commander,  was  despatched  against  Co- 
penhagen in  the  month  of  March,  1801.  Lord  Nelson, 
on  arriving  before  that  capital,  instantly  made  the  attack 
After  an  exceedingly  severe  engagement,  several  Danish 
ships  were  destroyed  or  captured,  and  the  town  itself  was 
thought  in  the  utmost  danger. 

At  this  moment  lord  Nelson  offered  terms  of  an  armis- 
tice, which  were  accepted  by  the  prince  of  Denmark 
The  English  fleet  then  proceeded  to  Carlscroon  ;  but  its 
farther  operations  in  the  Baltic  were  interrupted  by  the 
death  of  the  emperor  (Paul)  of  Russia.  His  son  and 
successor,  Alexander,  immediately  disclaimed  all  hostile 
intentions,  and  entered  into  an  amicable  convention  with 
England. 

The  French  still  kept  possession  of  Egypt.  A.  British 
force,  which  was  sent  to  drive  them  out  of  that  countrj 

When  did  Bonaparte  become  first  consul  ? 
When  was  the  union  with  Ireland  accomplished  ? 
Upon  what  pretext  did  the  English  attack  Copenhagen  i 
What  checked  the  English  operations  in  the  BalliOi 
When  were  the  French  expelled  from  Egypt  I 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  373 

about  this  time  effected  its  purpose,  though  not  without 
the  loss  of  its  brave  commander,  sir  Ralph  Abercrombie, 
who  was  mortally  wounded  in  the  first  engagement. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place,  the  public  atten- 
tion was  excited  in  England  by  the  sudden  and  unexpect- 
ed resignation  of  Mr.  Pitt,  who  had  been  prime  ministeT 
twrenty-one  years.  He  was  succeeded  by  the  duke  oi 
Portland  and  Mr.  Addington,  afterwards  created  viscount 
Sidmouth.  These  ministers  opened  a  negotiation  with 
France,  which  was  at  length  concluded  by  a  definitive 
treaty,  signed  at  Amiens,  March  27,  1802.  Hostilities 
were  lenewed  in  1803. 

A  D  ififU  Bonaparte  was  proclaimed  emperor  of 
France.  He  had  now  acquired  an  unlim- 
ited sway,  not  only  in  that  country,  but  also  over  a  great 
part  of  Europe.  Holland,  Italy,  Spain,  and  Portugal, 
crouched  before  him.     England  alone  stood  independent 

On  the  21st  of  October,  1804,  lord  Nelson,  with  a  fleet 
of  27  ships  of  the  line,  encountered  the  combined  fleets  of 
France  and  Spain,  amounting  to  33  sail,  off  Cape  Trafal- 
gar. Nelson  received,  during  the  action,  a  mortal  wound 
by  a  ball  fired  from  the  mizen-top  of  a  French  ship.  When 
he  found  himself  wounded,  he  covered  his  face  with  his 
handkerchief,  and  concealed  the  stars  and  orders  that  deco- 
rated the  breast  of  his  coat.  He  took  this  precaution  that 
he  might  no*  be  known,  fearing  lest  his  crew  should  be 
disheartened  by  knowing  that  their  admiral  had  fallen. 
He  was  carried  down  to  the  surgeon's  room,  where  he 
lived  three  hours  ;  long  enough  to  know  that  his  fleet  was 
victorious. 

Twenty  of  the  enemy's  ships  had  struck,  or  surrendered 
during  the  engagement.  But  most  of  the  prizes  were 
wrecked  *n  a  gale  that  sprung  up  in  the  night.  Four  only 
were  saved  and  brought  to  England.  By  this  victory  the 
navy  of  France  was  destroyed,  and  Britain  established  more 
completely  than  ever  her  decisive  superiority  at  sea. 


What  change  was  made  in  the  English  ministry  in  1801,  and  when  Wd£ 
U.c  peace  of  Amiens  signed  ? 
What  was  the  position  of  Bonaparte  in  1804? 
Who  fell  at  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  ? 
Wtnt  was  the  consequence  of  the  battle  of  Trafalgar  1 


374  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

Mr.  Pitt,  who  had  come  again  into  administration  m  the 
year  1804,  died  on  the  23d  of  January,  1806,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded as  prime  minister  by  his  great  political  rival,  Mr 
Fox.  But  the  new  administration  did  not  last  long.  Mr 
Fox  died  on  the  13th  of  September;  and  on  the  25th  ot 
March,  in  the  year  following,  another  ministry  was  formed, 
of  which  Mr.  Percival  was  usually  considered  the  head. 

A  D  1807  Expeditions  were  sent  to  the  Dardanelles, 
to  Egypt,  and  against  the  Spanish  settle- 
ments on  the  river  Plate,  in  South  America ;  but  none  of 
them  were  attended  with  any  advantage.  Another  expedi- 
tion was  despatched  against  Copenhagen,  which  succeeded, 
after  bombarding  the  town,  in  gaining  possession  of  the 
whole  Danish  fleet,  which  was  safely  brought  to  England 

A  D  1 80S  Nearly  the  whole  continent  of  Europe 
was  under  the  control  of  Bonaparte. 
Russia  was  alienated  from  England.  The  emperor  of 
Germany  had  been  compelled  to  surrender  a  large  portion 
of  his  territories.  Many  of  the  German  princes  retained 
their  dominions  only  as  tributaries  of  the  French  emperor. 
The  king  of  Prussia  had  felt  his  power,  and  had  seen  him 
make  a  triumphant  entry  into  Berlin. 

Bonaparte  reigned  over  all  the  north  of  Italy.  He 
drove  the  king  of  Naples  from  his  throne,  on  which  he 
placed  Murat,  one  of  his  own  generals.  He  made  the  king 
of  Spain  a  prisoner  in  France,  and  placed  his  brother,  Jo- 
seph Bonaparte,  on  the  throne  of  Madrid.  Portugal  was 
also  reduced  under  the  dominion  of  this  great  conqueror, 
and  the  royal  family  of  that  country  had  emigrated  to  their 
South  American  territories.  Holland  was  erected  into  a 
monarchy,  and  bestowed  on  Louis  Bonaparte. 

The  papal  power  was  also  overthrown,  and  the  pope 
became  an  unwilling  resident  in  France.  Louis  XVIII. 
the  brother  of  the  late  king  of  France,  who  (on  the  death 
of  the  dauphin  in  a  prison  in  Paris)  had  become  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Bourbon  family,  had  at  this  time  but  little 
prospect  of  hsing  ever  restored  to  his  rank.     He  was  liv- 


Wlen  did  Mr.  Ktt  and  Mr.  Fox  die  ? 

What  expeditions  were  undertaken  by  the  English  in  1807  ? 

What  was  the  state  of  northern  Europe  in  1808  X 

What  was  the  state  of  Italy,  &c.  ? 

Where  v  ere  tne  Pope  and  Louis  XVIII.  in  1803? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  375 

ing  in  great  retirement  in  England,  and  called  mmseii  the 
count  de  Lille. 

In  the  spring  of  this  year,  the  Spanish  nation,  exaspe- 
rated by  the  cruelties  committed  by  the  French  in  Madrid, 
roused  themselvesto  exertion,  declared  war  against  France, 
and  sent  deputies  to  England  to  implore  assistance.  An 
expedition  of  about  ten  thousand  men  was  sent  to  their 
assistance,  under  the  command  of  sir  Arthur  Wellesley, 
and  arrived  at  Corunna  on  the  20th  of  July. 

On  communication  with  the  Spanish  leaders  in  that  dis- 
trict, it  was  thought  best  to  proceed  in  the  first  instance  to 
Portugal,  for  the  purpose  of  expelling  general  Junot,  who 
had  the  command  of  a  French  army  in  that  country,  and 
was  in  possession  of  Lisbon. 

The  English  landed  at  Mondego  Bay,  and  defeated  the 
French  in  a  battle  at  Vimeira,  which  was  fought  on  the 
21st  of  August;  after  which  the  French  army  retired  to  the 
strong,  position  which  covered  Lisbon  ;  and  a  convention 
was  in  consequence  entered  into  by  sir  Hew  Dalrymple, 
who  had  subsequently  taken  the  command  of  the  army  for 
the  evacuation  of  Portugal  by  the  French  troops. 

In  the  month  of  November,  sir  John  Moore,  who  had 
arrived  with  a  reinforcement  of  12,000  men,  led  the  British 
army  into  Spain.  General  Moore  was,  however,  compelled 
to  retreat ;  and,  after  a  most  severe  and  calamitous  march, 
through  a  difficult  country,  and  in  most  inclement  weather, 
he  arrived  at  Corunna,  Jan.  16,  1809. 

Soult,  the  French  general,  overtook  and  attacked  Moore 
when  on  the  point  of  embarking.  The  British,  though 
suffering  under  extreme  fatigue  and  anxiety,  beat  off  the 
French,  .hough  with  great  loss.  Sir  John  Moore  was 
amongst  those  who  fell.  His  friends  were  able  to  spare  a 
few  moments,  amidst  the  confusion  of  the  night  succeeding 
the  battle,  through  the  whole  of  which  the  troops  were 
embarking,  to  inter  the  body  of  their  lamented  commanded 
on  the  ramparts  of  Corunna. 


Why  was  the  peninsular  war  commenced  ? 

Why  was  the  English  army  sent  to  Lisbon  ? 

How  did  the  English  proceed  in  Portugal  ? 

Who  led  the  English  army  into  Spain  ? 

Under  what  circumstances  was  sir  John  Moore  killed  1 


37G  ENGLISH  HISTORY. 

A  T)  lftOQ  In  the  month  of  April,  sir  Arthur  Wellfit- 
ley,  having  been  again  appointed  to  the 
command  of  the  British  army  in  the  Peninsula,  landed  with 
rGinforcements  in  PDrtugal.  He  obliged  the  French  to 
abandon  Oporto,  and  soon  afterwards  entered  Spain :  but 
he  was  compelled  eventually  to  withdraw  into  Portugal. 

A  d  ia|2  ^n  tms  yeartne  United  States  of  America 
declared  war  against  England.  The 
chief  events  of  this  war  properly  belong  to  American  his- 
tory. It  was  occasioned  by  disputes  concerning  the  com- 
mercial and  maritime  privileges  of  the  Americans,  and 
ended  honorably  to  our  country 

The  tide  of  success  on  the  continent  of  Europe  was  now 
beginning  to  turn.  Bonaparte  on  arriving  at  the  pinnacle 
of  greatness,  alienated  all  his  allies,  and  at  length  under- 
took to  invade  Russia.  There  nothing  but  disaster  and 
defeat  overtook  his  hitherto  invincible  armies.  It  has 
been  calculated  that  of  the  400,000  men  who  had  composed 
the  invading  army,  not  more  than  50,000  re-crossed  the 
Russian  boundary  on  its  return.  On  the  4th  of  December, 
Bonaparte  himself  left  the  army,  and  set  out  on  a  rapid 
journey  to  Paris. 

These  reverses  of  the  French  army  in  Russia  roused  the 
other  nations  of  Europe  from  their  state  of  subjection  to 
the  power  of  Bonaparte.  Prussia  was  the  first  to  shake  oil 
the  yoke,  and  to  join  the  advancing  armies  of  Russia. 
Bernadotte,  the  crown  prince  of  Sweden,  allied  himself  to 
the  same  cause.  Austria  also  declared  war  against  France  • 
and  in  the  month  of  November,  in  the  same  year,  the  prince 
of  Orange  was  recalled  by  the  Dutch  from  his  long  exile,  and 
entered  the  Hague  amidst  the  acclamations  of  the  people 

Denmark  joined  the  allies  in  the  following  January. 
Several  great  battles  were  fought  in  this  campaign.  That 
of  Leipzig,  on  the  18th  of  October,  was  completely  decisive 
against  the  French,  who  were  rapidly  driven  back  to  their 
own  country,  pursuedby  the  immense  armies  of  the  allie?. 


What  did  sir  Arthur  Wellesley  accomplish  in  1809  ? 

Under  what  circumstances  did  the  war  with  America  terminate  ? 

"What  was  the  end  of  Bonaparte's  invasion  of  Russia  ? 

How  did  the  eoversigns  of  Europe  regard  Bonaparte  in  1813  1 

What  victory  wa.»  gained  by  the  allies  in   1814  1 


vU 


ENGLISH  HISTORY  377 

who  had  now  no  fear  for  the  success  of  the  wai,  and  were 
eagerly  contemplating  he  invasion  of  France.  Early  in 
tne  winter  the  allies  crossed  the  Rhine.  On  the  30th  of 
March,  1814,  they  gained  a  victory  before  Paris,  and  the 
next  day  entered  that  city  in  triumph. 

The  contest  in  Spain  in  the  meantime  was  not  concluded 
In  the  years  1811  and  1812  there  had  been  much  hard 
fighting  in  that  country,  and  the  English  gained  many  vic- 
tories. But  the  French  army  was  so  superior  in  number, 
that  lord  Wellington,  after  having  advanced  to  Madrid, 
was  obliged,  in  November,  1812,  to  retreat  to  the  Portu- 
guese frontier.  In  the  following  year,  however,  1813,  his 
success  wa-j  complete. 

Lord  Wellington  drove  the  French  entirely  out  of  the 
Peninsula,  and  on  the  7th  of  October  entered  France.  The 
concluding  achievements  of  this  army,  in  the  spring  of 
1814,  were  to  enter  Bordeaux,  which  had  declared  its  at« 
tachment  to  the  Bourbon  cause,  while  the  great  contest  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Paris  was  still  undecided,  and  where 
the  British  troops  were  welcomed  as  deliverers  ;  and  final- 
ly the  defeat  of  marshal  Soult,  in  a  severe  battle  at  Tou- 
louse, on  the  11th  of  April. 

On  the  2d  of  April,  the  French  senate  declared  that 
Bonaparte  had  forfeited  his  throne  :  on  the  4th,  he  signed 
an  act  of  abdication  :  on  the  28th  he  embarked  at  Frejus, 
on  board  an  English  frigate,  and  was  conveyed  to  Elba,  a 
little  island  on  the  coast  of  Italy,  which  was  assigned  to 
him  by  the  allied  powers.  The  empress,  Maria  Louisa, 
and  her  infant  son,  to  whom  Bonaparte  had  given  the  title 
of  king  of  Rome,  had  previously  gone  to  Vienna. 

On  the  6th  of  April,  a  decree  of  the  senate  had  been 
passed  for  the  recall  of  the  Bourbon  princes  ;  and  Louis 
XVIII.  made  on  the  3d  of  May  a  solemn  entry  into  Paris. 
All  these  extraordinary  events  passed  so  rapidly,  that  they 
Beemed  more  like  the  winding  up  of  a  romance  than  like 
realilies. 


What  was  done  by  Lord  Wellington  in  1812  and  1813  ? 
What  was  done  by  the  English  army  on  the  continent  in  l?Ji  ? 
When  did  Bonaparte  go  to  Elba  ? 
Whim  did  Louis  XYrIII.  enter  Paris  ? 

17 


378  tNULISH  HISTORY. 

May  30th,  peace  was  concluded  between  the  allied  pow 
ers  and  France.  The  limits  of  France  were  reduced  b} 
this  treaty  nearly  to  those  which  she  had  possessed  in  1792 
Her  colonies,  with  a  few  exceptions,  were  restored.  Eng- 
land retained  Malta,  and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  the 
small  island  of  .Heligoland.  The  adjustment  of  many  com- 
plicated questions,  which  remained  to  be  settled  between 
the  continental  powers,  was  reserved  for  a  congress  ap 
pointed  to  meet  at  Vienna. 

In  the  beginning  of  June,  the  emperor  of  Russia,  and 
the  king  of  Pussia,  paid  a  visit  to  England.  They  were 
accompanied  by  Blucher,  a  veteran  Prussian  general,  and 
by  Platoff,  betman  of  the  Cossacks,  men  who  had  borne  a 
distinguished  part  in  the  late  achievements  of  the  allied 
army.  The  visit  of  these  distinguished  strangers  was  cele- 
brated in  London,  and  other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  with 
extraordinary  rejoicing  and  festivity.  Peace  with  America 
was  soon  afterwards  restored. 

Early  in  1815,  a  general  alarm  was  spread  throughout 
Europe  by  the  escape  of  Bonaparte  from  Elba.  He  landed 
March  1st  in  the  south  of  France.  He  was  everywhere 
received  with  joy  by  the  soldiery.  Louis  XVIII.  fled  from 
Paris  early  in  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  the  same  month, 
and  Bonaparte  entered  that  capital  in  the  evening  of  the 
same  day,  and  resumed  the  government  without  opposition 

His  first  attempt  was  to  conciliate  the  allies,  to  whom  he 
proposed  to  maintain  the  peace,  on  the  terms  which  had 
been  lately  settled  with  Louis.  But  the  allies  unanimously 
rejected  the  proposition,  and  began  immediately  to  put  their 
armies  in  motion,  with  the  reso'ution  of  once  more  dis- 
placing this  unprincipled  disturber  of  the  world. 

The  English  and  Prussians  were  first  in  motion.  To 
prevent  their  entrance  into  France,  Bonaparte,  at  the  head 
of  150,000  men,  marched  to  the  Netherlands.  June  15th, 
the  French  and  Prussians  had  the  first  rencontre  at  Char- 
leroi.     The  engagement  was  renewed  on  the  16th,  ard  on 


What  limits  were  assigned  to  France  by  the  allied  powers  f 

What  distinguished  persons  visited  London  in  1815  ! 

When  did  Bonaparte  re-enter  Paris  ? 

Did  the  allies  refuse  all  terms  with  Bonaparte  ? 

Where  did  Bonaparte  encounter  the  allied  anmen? 


ENGLISH  HISTORY.  379 

the  same  day  another  division  of  the  French  army  had  a 
severe  conflict  with  the  English  at  Quatre  Bras.  On  the 
17th,  the  British  army  retreated  to  an  advantageous  post 
near  the  viliage  of  Waterloo. 

About  ten  o'clock,  June  18th,  began  one  of  the  hardest 
fought  battles  recorded  in  history.  It  raged  furiously  dur- 
ing the  whole  day,  and  terminated  in  the  defeat  of  the 
French  army.  Bonaparte,  when  he  saw  his  guards  give 
way,  exclaimed,  "  It  is  all  over  ;  we  must  save  ourselves." 
And,  so  saying,  he  quitted  the  field  of  battle,  attended  by 
five  or  six  officers,  and  arrived  at  Paris  on  the  night  of  the 
20th  of  June.  Seeingno  prospect  of  being  able  to  retrieve 
his  ruined  fortunes,  he  proceeded  a  few  days  afterwards,  to 
Rochefort,  with  the  intention  of  making  his  escape  to 
America. 

Bonaparte  actually  embarked  with  that  intention ;  but  the 
Bellerophon,  an  English  man  of  war,  being  in  sight,  from 
which  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  escape,  he  resolv- 
ed to  surrender  himself  to  the  English  captain.  The  Bel- 
lerophon, as  soon  as  he  arrived  on  board,  sailed  for  Torbay, 
where  he  continued  on  board  that  vessel,  till  it  could  be  con- 
certed between  the  English  government  and  the  allies  what 
would  be  the  best  and  securest  place  of  confinement  for  so 
very  important  a  prisoner.  The  island  of  St.  Helena  was 
at  last  determined  upon.  In  this  island  he  continued  a 
prisoner  till  his  death,  which  took  place  May  5th,  1821. 

The  English  and  Prussian  armies  advanced  rapidly  after 
the  battle  of  Waleiloo,  and  invested  Paris  on  the  29th  and 
30th  June.  A  few  days  afterwards  the  city  capitulated. 
The  Austrians  and  Russians  had  now  crossed  the  Rhine. 
On  the  8th  Louis  XVIII.  re-entered  his  capital ;  but  the 
English  and  Prussians  retained  military  possession  ot  it 
till  the  final  restoration  of  peace.  The  terms  of  the  peace 
were  settled  in  October. 

Thus  finally  terminated  that  long  contest  in  which 
Europe  was  involved  by  the  French  revolution,  a  comesi 


What  was  the  catastrophe  of  Waterloo  ? 

Whither  did  Bonaparte  escape  from  Waterloo  ? 

What  happened  to  Bonaparte  subsequently  to  his  escape  ? 

Whither  did  the  allied  armies  proceed  after  the  victory  of  Waterloo  ? 

Did  the  peace  of  1815  conclude  the  war  in  Europe  ? 


.380  ENGLISH   HISTORY 

which  had  raged  with  unexampled  fury,  and  with  few  and 
brief  intermissions,  for  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years 
The  prince  of  Wales  (since  George  IV.)  had  married 
in  1795,  his  cousin,  the  princess  Caroline  of  Brunswick 
They  had  an  only  daughter,  the  princess  Charlotte,  born 
January  7,  1796  ;  who,  on  May  2,  1816,  married  prince 
Leopold  of  Saxe-Coburg.  To  the  unspeakable  grief  of  the 
whole  nation,  this  young  princess,  who  possessed  man> 
popular  qualities,  died,  November  7,  1817. 

A  I)  1818  '^^ie  (lueen  died  a^ter  a  lingering  illness 
The  duke  of  Kent,  the  king's  fourth  son, 
died  January  23,  1820.  He  had  married  the  sister  of 
prince  Leopold,  and  left  an  only  child,  the  princess  Vic- 
toria, then  not  a  year  old,  the  present  queen  of  England. 

George  III.  having  at  intervals  of  his  life  been  subject 
to  insanity,  sunk  at  length  into  complete  derangement  of 
intellect.  He  died  January  29,  1820,  in  the  82d  year  of 
his  age,  and  the  60th  of  his  reign  ;  during  the  last  nine 
years  of  which  he  had  been  in  a  melancholy  state  of  blind- 
ness, deafness,  and  mental  incapacity.  He  married,  Sept. 
8,  1761,  Sophia  Charlotte,  princess  of  Mechlenburg-S».re- 
litz,  and  had  nine  sons  and  six  daughters. 


The  expenditure  of  life  and  money  by  the  English  nacion 
in  the  var  with  France,  has  been  of  doubtful  benefit  to  the 
country  •  but  the  destruction,  by  lord  Exmouth,  of  the  Alge- 
rine  tyranny  over  the  sea  was  of  great  importance  to  the  in- 
terests of  humanity  and  of  commerce.  The  Algerines,  and 
the  other  Barbary  states,  had  for  many  centuries  been  ac- 
customed to  treat  as  slaves  all  the  unhappy  persons  whom 
they  took  as  prisoners.  After  the  conclusion  of  peace  in 
1814  when  the  hostilities  which  had  so  long  raged  in  Eu- 
rope no  longer  disturbed  the  navigation  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean, their  depredations  on  ihe  trading  vessels  of  some  cf 


Who  was  the  princess  Charlotte,  and  when  did  she  lie? 
When  did  the  queen  and  the  duke  of  Kent  die  ? 
When  did  George  III.  die  ? 

What  naval  achievement  in  the  reign  of  George  III.  was  favojable  tc 
h  i  raan  happ  ine =s  ? 


L'NGLISH  HISTORY.         ,  381 

"he  Italian  states  increased,  anil  became  seriously  alarming 
They  captured  the  vessels,  and  made  slaves  of  the  crews 

In  the  spring  of  181G,  lord  Exmouth  was  sent  from 
England  to  remonstrate  with  the  dey  of  Algiers  on  these 
depredations  :  and  the  dey  in  consequence  released  some 
Christian  slaves,  and  made  fair  promises  for  the  future. 
Soon  after  this,  and,  as  it  is  said,  without  the  permission  01 
even  knowledge  of  the  dey,  a  body  of  Algerines  attacked 
some  Italians  who. were  engaged  in  fishing  for  pearls  a! 
Bona.  When  this  news  reached  England,  the  people  were 
much  exasperated  at  the  apparent  want  of  faith  of  the 
dey,  and  lord  Exmouth  was  again  sent  out,  with  orders  to 
compel  the  Algerines  to  keep  their  promises. 

On  the  27th  of  May,  1816,  lord  Exmouth  came  in  sight 
of  Algiers,  with  a  large  armament  and  sent  to  demand  ot 
the  dey  to  set  all  his  Christain  slaves  at  liberty.  Receiving 
no  answer,  after  having  waited  some  hours,  he  began  to 
fire  upon  the  town.  The  dey's  magazines,  arsenals,  and 
shipping,  were  destroyed  before  his  eyes,  and  great  dam- 
age done  to  the  town.  The  next  morning  the  dey  sent  to 
inform  lord  Exmouth  that  he  would  agree  to  the  terms 
demanded  ;  and  before  noon  most  of  the  Christian  slaves 
were  released,  and  the  English  fleet  in  a  Hew  days  sailed 
from  Algiers. 

The  victory  of  lord  Exmouth  was  not  the  only  service 
rendered  to  humanity  in  this  reign.  During  the  short  pe- 
riod of  Mr.  Fox's  administration,  an  act  was  passed  for  the 
abolition  of  the  negro  slave  trade  between  Africa  and  the 
West  Indies. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX 

CONCLUSION 

GEORGE  IV- 

[Years  after  Christ,  1820—1830.] 

George  III.  not  only  reigned  the  longest,  but  also  lived 
to  a  greater  age  than  any  other  English  king.     He  was 


Who  was  sent  from  England  to  remonstrate  with  the  dey  ot*  Algiers  ? 
When  did  lord  Exmouth  compel  the  dey  of  Algiers  to  suhn.it  to  his  df» 
mauds ? 

When  was  the  slave  trade  abolished  t 


3b'2  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

more  distinguished  by  the  domestic  virtues,  and  for  sin- 
cere piety,  than  for  political  wisdom  ;  but,  during  his  lon£ 
reign,  English  mind  was  advancing,  and  English  powei 
and  prosperity,  were  increasing. 

George  III.,  for  many  years  of  his  life  a  maniac,  from 
October,  1788,  to  April,  1789,  was  prevented  from  exer- 
cising the  duties  of  a  sovereign  ;  and  from  October,  1810. 
to  January,  1820,  he  lived  under  entire  deprivation  of  rea- 
son. These  ten  years  were  the  period  of  the  regency. 
The  prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  George  IV.,  was  appo.iri:- 
ed  to  the  royal  function  and  dignity  ;  and,  till  his  fathei  s 
death,  was  styled  the  Prince  Regent. 

George  IV.  was  crowned  king,  July  19th,  1821.  He 
died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight,  June  26th,  1830.  George 
IV.  received  an  excellent  classical,  and  a  neglected  moral 
and  religious  education.  He  might  have  been  instructed 
in  the  duties  of  a  man  and  a  sovereign  prince  ;  but  he  was 
never  made  to  feel  that  his  example  might  sanction  vice, 
or  recommend  virtue,  and  that  his  natural  abilities  made 
him  eminently  capable  to  do  good  to  the  great  kingdom 
over  which  he  was  set. 

The  dissipated  and  frivolous  life  of  George  IV.  while  a 
young  man,  made  him  unpopular  in  England  ;  but  the  first 
time  that  he  ever  spoke  in  the  House  of  Lords,  he  declared : 
"  I  exist  by  the  love,  the  friendship,  and  the  benevolence 
of  the  people  ;  and  their  cause  I  will  never  forsake  as  long 
as  I  live."  This  expression  of  just  sentiment  awakened 
in  the  public  mind  all  the  feelings  of  love  and  trust  due  to 
a  patriot  prince. 

A  D  l^Q^  George  IV  was  married  to  his  cousin 
"  •  Caroline  of  Brunswick,  whom  he  never 
loved,  and  from  whom  he  was  afterwards  separated.  They 
had  but  one  child,  the  princess  Charlotte,  who  died  in  1817 
Queen  Caroline  was  accused  of  many  crimes,  and  was 
brought  to  a  trial  on  account  of  them.  Whether  or  not  sac 
was  guilty,  the  public  opinion  is  not  determined.  She 
died,  1821,  and  was  relieved  from  the  misery  and  disgrace 
of  doubtful  innocence. 

Was  George  III.  a  good  man  ? 

Why  -was  the  Prince  of  Wales  made  regent  ? 

What  was  the  character  of  George  IV.  ? 

How  did  the  prince  of  Wales  con- mend  himself  to  the  En^libh  pooplo 


ENGLISH   HISTORY.  383 

George  IV.  visited  different  parts  of  his  dominions,  and 
was  greeted  with  enthusiasm  in  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
Hanover.  The  latter  years  of  George  IV.  were  passed  in 
retirement.  A  secluded  cottage  in  Windsor  Park,  was  his 
favorite  residence  :  he  caused  royal  palaces  to  be  repaired 
and  built,  but  of  the  latter  he  never  took  possession. 

George  IV.  seldom  met  his  parliament  in  person — very 
rarely  held  courts,  that  is,  he  rarely  received  the  great  no- 
bility, foreign  ministers,  and  distinguished  strangers,  and 
he  seldom  appeared  in  any  public  place.  He  died  of 
dropsy  in  the  summer  of  1830,  and  was  committed  to  the 
earth  with  splendid  ceremonies,  but  without  the  regrets  of 
the  grateful  and  the  good. 


Much  might  be  said  of  the  progress  of  arts,  literature, 
and  science,  in  these  latter  reigns  of  the  English  kings  ; 
but  the  history  of  arts  and  artists,  of  literature  and  scho- 
lars, of  science  and  philosophers,  is  too  ample  to  find 
room  in  these  pages.  A  list  of  the  names  of  men  of 
genius  would  afford  no  just  notion  what  they  were,  and 
what  they  have  done. 

There  also  remains  much  to  be  told  concerning  the  va- 
rious discoveries  and  improvements  that  have  been  made 
during  the  last  sixty  years  in  almost  every  branch  of  art 
and  science  :  balloons,  steamboats,  telegraphs,  machines 
for  spinning  and  weaving,  &c.  There  never  was  any  for- 
mer period  in  which  human  talent  and  ingenuity  were  ex- 
ercised so  much  or  so  well. 

Maritime  discovery  in  this  age  has  done  wonders,  and 
English  travelers  have  made  important  discoveries.  The 
expeditions  of  Cook  and  Burney,  Franklin,  Parry,  and 
Ross,  have  greatly  increased  human  knowledge  ;  and  the 


What  were  the  circumstances  of  George's  domestic  life  ? 
Did  George  IV.  visit  his  dominions  1 

What  were  the  habits  of  George  IV.,  and  when  did  he  die  ? 
Can  a  proper  history  be  given  here  of  English  literature  1 
What  was  the  state  of  arts,  &c.  during  the  reign  of  George  IV   ? 
What  are  the  greal  enterprises  of  the  reigns  of  Gee  rge  III.  and    Ii 
.sou  ? 


384  ENGLISH   HIS  WRY. 

great  enterprises  of  humanity,  the  abolition  of  the  slave 
trade, the  Bible  Society,  and  missionary  advei  ture  to  every 
neglected  portion  of  the  earth,  may  be  traced  to  British 
origin.  The  reign  of  George  IV,  is  marked  by  Catholic 
Emancipation.  It  was  mentioned  in  another  part  of  this 
history,  that  no  office  of  government  could  be  exercised  by 
a  Roman  Catholic  ;  and  on  this  account  the  Stuarts  were 
expelled  from  the  throne  of  Britain.  An  act  of  parliament, 
1 829,  removed  many  disabilities  from  the  Catholics,  and 
admitted  them  to  privileges  not  previously  allowed  them ; 
this  is  Catholic  Emancipation. 


WILLIAM  IV. 
[Years  after  Christ,  1830—1837.1 

William  Henry,  duke  of  Clarence,  succeeded  to  the 
throne  on  the  decease  of  his  brother  George  IV.  On  the 
accession  of  William  IV.,  the  English  nation  manifested 
a  general  consciousness  of  suffering  from  injustice  and  mis- 
government,  and  they  insisted  moreover  their  own  right  to 
redress  their  grievances. 

The  kingdom  was  indeed  wealthy  and  prosperous.  The 
face  of  the  country  was  covered  with  roads,  canals,  bridges, 
and  public  and  private  buildings  of  unsurpassed  magnifi- 
cence. The  soil  was  under  skilful  cultivation.  England 
was  at  the  head  of  the  maritime  powers  of  Europe.  Its 
manufactures,  commerce,  and  foreign  colonies,  were  im- 
mense sources  of  industry  and  wealth. 

The  other  side  of  the  picture  was  frightful :  the  national 
debt  was  augmented  beyond  the  means  of  the  country  to 
pay ;  the  poor  rates  were  quadrupled ;  one-sixth  of  the 
population  were  paupers.  The  taxation,  since  the  accession 
of  George  III.,  was  more  than  quadrupled ;  and  the  state 
was  burthened  by  the  extravagant  salaries  of  government 
functionaries,  and  tie  payment  of  numerous  pensions. 

Who  possesses  the  great  wealth  of  England  1    The  no- 

What  is  Catholic  Emancipation  ? 

Is  England  highly  prosperous  ? 

What  were  the  causes  of  popular  discontent  in  England  ? 

Who  possess  wealth,  and  who  are  very  poor  in  England? 


ENGLISH   HISTORY  385 

bility,  the  aristocratic  commoners,  the  merchants,  banker,^ 
and  great  manufacturers,  have  a  superabundance ;  but 
the  laboring  classes, — they  who  cultivate  the  soil,  and  who 
work  for  the  rich  in  sundry  ways,  and  multitudes  who  can 
obtain  no  work,  who  people  the  almshouses  and  hospitals, 
are  the  hungry  poor, — and  their  ignorance  and  want  de- 
mand redress. 

All  these  evils  the  people  believe  a  wise  government 
might  remedy.  The  people  demand  this  remedy.  They 
have  insisted  that  a  better  representation  in  parliament 
should  be  granted,  and  a  reformed  parliament  was  ob- 
tained, (1832.) 

William  IV.  conceded  every  thing  that  he  could.  It 
may  be  hoped  that  a  system  of  reform  then  commenced 
will  be  progressive,  and  misery  may  be  mitigated,  and  na- 
tional virtue  be  strengthened  in  that  dominion  of  earth,  of 
which  it  may  be  said,  "  that  the  world  never  before  saw 
so  vast  an  amount  of  wealth  and  power  under  one  head, 
as  that  under  the  control  of  the  British  government." 

It  would  be  doing  injustice  to  English  history,  to  afford 
no  information  of  the  British  empire  in  India.  The  trade 
of  Europe  with  India,  has  been  more  or  less  extensive 
from  time  immemorial.  From  the  discovery  of  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  (1496,)  this  trade  became  easy  by  means 
of  navigation. 

An  English  East  India  Company,  that  is,  an  English 
company  to  carry  on  traffic  with  India,  was  formed  in 
1600.  This  company  quarrelled  with  the  French,  Dutch, 
and  Portuguese,  who  also  traded  to  India.  The  English 
built  a  factory  at  Calcutta,  1736.  They  required  troops 
to  defend  them  there,  and  a  proper  force  was  employed. 

The  native  princes  of  the  country  quarrelled  :  the  Eng- 
lish aided  some,  and  invaded  others,  and  gradually  sub- 
dued them,  till  the  revenues  derived  from  the  India  trade, 
and  British  possessions  in  India,  amounted  (1728)  to 
<%851,424Z.     The  history  of  British  India  is  very  intei- 


Whut  may  be  supposed  to  be  a  remedy  for  these  national  grievances  / 

What  may  be  the  result  of  better  government  in  Britain  ? 

When  was  the  India  trade  commenced  ? 

When  were  the  Engiisn  first  established  in  India  ? 

What  i^  'he  present  extent  of  British  power  in  India? 


386  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

esting,  and  is  very  extensive  in  its  details — too  mucli  sc 
to  be  further  related  in  this  place. 

William  IV.  reigned  seven  years,  and  died  June,  1837. 
He  was  succeeded  by  the  princess  Victoria,  daughter  of  his 
brother,  Edward  duke  of  Kent.  This  young  lady,  born  1819, 
had  been  carefully  educated,  and  the  English  people,  not 
averse  to  female  rule,  looked  for  a  prosperous  and  happy 
reign.  In  the  present  age  of  the  world  the  influence  of  a 
British  sovereign  is  much  less  than  in  former  times : — public 
opinion,  general  morals,  the  diffusion  of  knowledge,  and  a 
just  representation  of  the  nation  in  Parliament  set  limits  to 
the  use3  and  abuses  of  prerogative ;  still,  an  enlightened 
mind,  a  firm  spirit,  and  a  virtuous  example  shed  lustre  upon 
the  throne,  and  wisdom  and  goodness  so  exalted  give  a  tone 
to  public  counsels,  and  political  measures,  that  exert  a  salu- 
tary and  ennobling  power  upon  a  free  people. 


CHAPTER    XL. 

REIGN    OF    QUEEN    VICTORIA. PART   I. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1837— 1856.] 

The  young  princess  was  at  her  accession  almost  exactly 
eighteen  years  old.  Even  at  this  early  age  she  was  seen 
to  enter  with  remarkable  dignity  and  propriety  on  the 
high  station  which  had  fallen  to  her  lot.  She  retained  the 
late  king's  ministers  in  office,  and  went  in  person,  July 
17th,  to  dissolve  the  Parliament,  and  read  her  speech  on 
this  occasion  from  the  throne.  She  also  opened  in  per- 
son, in  the  November  following,  the  first  session  of  the 
new  Parliament.  The  elections  of  the  members  of  the 
House  of  Commons  were  found  to  support  the  choice  of 
ministers  which  she  had  made.  In  the  following  year  her 
coronation  was  celebrated,  June  28th,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  numerous  indications  of  her  great  and  general 

How  long  did  "William  IV.  reign,  and  when  did  he  die  ? 
In  what  manner  did  Queen  Victoria  enter  upon  her  duties  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  381 

popularity.  A  rebellion  had  broken  out  in  Canada  in  the 
preceding  November,  but  peace  was  restored  after  a  short 
struggle ;  and  in  1838  the  Earl  of  Durham  was  sent  out  as 
Governor-General  of  the  British  possessions  in  North 
America.  The  two  provinces  of  Upper  and  Lower  Canada 
were  consolidated,  and  the  seat  of  government  transferred 
from  Toronto  and  Quebec  to  Montreal.  Various  changes 
were  also  introduced  into  the  political  constitution  of  this 
colony. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1839  a  political  association 
of  men  who  entitled  themselves  Chartists  broke  out  into 
open  riot  at  Newport,  in  Monmouthshire.  A  body 
of  these  confederates,  aided  by  the  secrecy  with  which 
the  use  of  the  Welsh  language  enabled  them  to  clothe 
their  proceedings,  collected  in  the  neighboring  hills, 
and  marched  down  at  night,  and  by  surprise  got  pos- 
session of  the  town.  This  disturbance  was  immediately 
quelled,  by  the  courage  of  a  small  body  of  soldiers, 
headed  by  a  spirited  magistrate,  and  three  of  its  leaders 
were  apprehended,  and  tried,  and  condemned  to  death, 
but  their  sentence  was  commuted  to  transportation  for  life. 
The  Chartist  principles,  however,  have  become  too  prev- 
alent among  working  miners  and  manufacturers,  and  also 
among  large  bodies  of  laborers,  not  to  render  it  desirable 
to  state  them  particularly.  The  Charter,  as  it  was  called, 
in  which  these  principles  were  embodied,  proposed  five 
points.  The  first  of  these  was  the  grant  of  universal  suf- 
frage in  the  election  of  members  of  Parliament ;  the  second 
was  that  of  voting  by  ballot,  a  system  of  secret  voting  by 
which  a  man  may  avoid  the  declaring  openly  for  whom 
he  votes ;  the  third  point  is  to  have  annual  parliaments ; 
the  fourth,  that  the  members  be  paid  for  their  services ; 
and  the  fifth,  the  abolition  of  that  qualification  in  respect 
of  property  which  all  members  of  Parliament  are  now  re- 
quired by  law  to  possess,  namely,  £600  a  year  if  member 
for  a  county,  and  £300  if  member  for  a  city  or  borough. 
Hardly  any  person  of  knowledge  or  observation  can  ima- 
gine that  the  extreme  changes  thus  proposed  could  be  pro- 

What  rebellion  broke  out  f 

Who  were  the  Chartists  ? 

What  were  their  demands  of  reform? 


388  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

ductive  of  real  benefit  to  any  rank  or  order  of  men.  But 
still  this  Charter  has  been  espoused,  as  has  been  said,  very 
extensively  among  the  working  classes,  and,  as  will  be 
seen  hereafter,  has  been  brought  the  more  before  the  pub- 
lic eye  by  the  example  of  the  revolution  in  France  of  1848. 
It  has  much  resemblance  also  to  the  constitution  which 
has  been  adopted,  though  in  a  very  different  state  of  so- 
ciety from  our  own,  in  the  United  States  of  America. 

On  the  10th  of  February,  1840,  the  Queen  married 
her  first-cousin,  Prince  Albert  of  Saxe-Coburg,  a  nephew 
of  the  Duchess  of  Kent,  and  of  Leopold,  king  of  the 
Belgians.  The  prince-consort,  while  lie  kept  himself  wise- 
ly aloof  from  all  political  parties  in  the  state,  was  studious 
to  promote  by  every  means  in  his  power  our  most  useful 
charities  and  national  institutions.  Both  his  own  habits, 
and  those  of  the  Queen,  were  of  a  highly  English  character. 
They  often  retired  from  the  fatigues  of  their  public  life  to 
the  comparative  quiet  of  a  villa  at  Osborne,  in  the  Isle  of 
Wight,  in  sight  of  the  great  arsenal  of  Portsmouth  and  the 
roadstead  of  Spithead,  and  they  had  an  occasional  resi- 
dence also  at  Balmoral  in  Scotland.  It  was  among  their 
relaxations  to  make  sea  excursions  in  the  royal  yacht,  in 
which  they  visited  both  Ireland  and  Scotland  more  than 
once.  In  September,  1843,  they  crossed  the  Channel,  and 
paid  a  short  visit  to  the  King  of  the  French  at  the  Chateau 
d'Eu,  near  Treport,  in  Normandy ;  the  first  visit  of  any 
English  sovereign  to  France  since  Henry  VIII.  In  the 
October  of  the  following  year  Louis  Philippe  returned  this 
visit  to  the  Queen  at  Windsor;  and  in  August  and  Sep- 
tember, 1845,  the  Queen  and  Prince  Albert  made  a  tour 
in  Germany,  and  on  their  return  passed  another  day  or  two 
at  the  Chateau  d'Eu.  They  then  doubtless  little  thought 
that  before  three  more  years  should  expire,  the  King  of  the 
French  would  once  again  need  that  hospitality  in  England 
which  he  had  sought  amid  the  misfortunes  of  his  early 
life,  and  which  was  renewed  after  the  loss  of  his  crown  in 
1848. 


Among  what  classes  do  Chartist  opinions  prevail? 

When,  and  to  whom,  was  the  Queen  married  ? 

»Yhat  are  the  domestic  hahits  of  the  Prince  and  Queen  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTCRY.  389 

In  April,  1840,  war  was  declared  by  England  against 
China.  Canton  was  blockaded,  and  the  island  of  Chusan 
taken  possession  of,  in  the  same  year ;  and  an  invading 
array,  under  the  command  of  Lord  Gough,  afterward  (in 
Angust,  1842)  penetrated  to  the  very  walls  of  Nankin,  and 
dictated  a  peace.  By  this  peace,  the  island  of  Hong  Kong 
was  ceded  to  England,  and  a  large  sum  of  money  paid  by 
way  of  an  indemnity  for  the  expenses  of  the  war ;  and,  besides 
Canton,  the  only  port  to  which  foreign  traders  had  previ- 
ously been  admitted,  four  other  Chinese  ports  were  opened 
to  commerce  with  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  terms  of 
this  treaty  have,  on  the  whole,  been  faithfully  observed. 
Keying,  the  Chinese  commissioner  who  was  employed  to 
adjust  the  treaty  with  the  barbarians,  as  the  English  and 
other  Europeans  are  called  in  China,  expresses  himself  as 
follows  in  the  report  which  he  presented  to  his  own  gov- 
ernment on  this  occasion:  "I,  your  servant,  have  ex- 
amined and  found  what  are  the  unwarrantable  demands 
of  the  said  barbarians,  and  they  are  deserving  of  the  ut- 
most hatred."  He  then,  however,  proceeds  to  argue  that, 
as  they  have  taken  and  kept  possession  of  various  places, 
which  are  not  given  up,  and  have  not  retired,  it  will  be  a 
difficult  matter  to  get  them  back.  "  It  is  a  difficult  mat- 
ter," he  adds,  "to  contend  with  them  on  the  waters. 
Should  it  not  therefore  be  allowed  them  to  return  to  us 
our  territory,  and  allow  them  to  trade,  since  they  are 
willing  respectfully  to  pay  the  duties  ?  Just  now  they  are 
sensible,  and  repent  of  their  errors,  and  are  as  obedient  as 
if  driven  by  the  wind ;  and  when  again  in  mutual  friend- 
ship, benevolence,  and  truth,  all  things  will  go  on  well." 

While  this  war  was  thus  carrying  on  in  China,  anothei 
was  also  entered  into  with  the  Pacha,  01  viceroy,  of  Egypt, 
Mehemet  Ali.  This  war  arose  out  of  a  long  contest  be- 
tween the  Pasha  and  his  titular  sovereign,  the  Sultan  of 
Constantinople,  in  which  all  the  greater  powers  of  Europe 
at  length  interfered  in  the  Sultan's  behalf.  In  1840  an 
English  squadron,  under  the  command  of  Commodore 


Against  what  country  did  England  declare  war?  and  when  ? 
What  was  the  object  of  this  war  ? 

What  was  Keying's  opinion  of  the  harbarians  and  their  demands  ? 
With  whom  was  another  war  commenced  ? 


300  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

Napier,  joined  tlie  Turkish  fleet,  and  took  Beyrout,  ami 
afterward  destroyed  Acre,  both  which  places,  together 
with  the  whole  coast  of  Syria,  had  been  for  some  time  in 
the  possession  of  Mehemet.  From  Acre  the  Commodore 
proceeded  to  Alexandria,  and  prepared  for  an  attack  on 
that  city.  But.  a  treaty  was  then  agreed  on,  by  which 
Syria  was  restored  to  the  Turks,  and  the  government  of 
Egypt  secured  to  the  Pacha,  and  made  hereditary  in  his 
family.  The  intercourse  and  commerce  of  Egypt  with 
Europe,  and  especially  with  England,  has,  since  this 
period,  greatly  increased.  The  Upper  Nile,  and  the  relics 
of  high  antiquity  to  be  found  on  its  banks,  have  been  ex- 
plored with  success ;  and  Cairo,  where  the  climate  is  al- 
ways serene  and  delicious  during  the  winter  months,  has 
become  a  place  of  frequent  residence  for  invalids.  Me- 
hemet himself  fell  at  length  into  a  state  of  imbecility.  His 
son,  Ibrahim,  was  nominated  viceroy  in  his  place,  Septem- 
ber 1,  1848,  but  died  November  10th  in  the  same  year, 
and  was  succeeded  by  his  nephew,  Abbas,  the  eldest  grand- 
son of  Mehemet.  Mehemet  himself  died  August  2.,  1849. 
Ibrahim  had  visited  both  France  and  England  in  the  au- 
tumn of  1845  and  the  spring  and  summer  of  1846. 

The  events  which  have  taken  place,  during  the  present 
reign,  in  the  British  dominions  in  India,  are  far  too  intri- 
cate to  be  here  detailed,  and  yet  some  brief  notice  of  them 
must  not  be  omitted.  The  vast  surface  of  that  great  pen- 
insula has  been  in  general  tranquil.  But,  on  the  western 
frontier,  the  British  forces  which  had  invaded  Afghanistan, 
a  large  territory  to  the  west  of  the  Indus,  were  compelled 
by  a  rising  of  the  people  to  retreat  from  Cabool  in  Janu- 
ary, 1842,  under  the  most  distressing  circumstances,  and 
were  cut  off  in  the  passes  of  the  mountains  while  on  their 
retreat ;  one  person  only  escaping  at  the  time  to  tell  the 
tale.  In  the  following  year  another  war  broke  out  in 
Scinde,  a  district  at  the  mouth  of  the  same  great  river,  the 
free  navigation  and  command  of  which  is  of  the  first  im- 
portance, both  to  the  commerce  and  the  security  of  the 
upper  provinces.     General  Sir  Charles  Napier  gained  here 


What  is  said  of  Cairo  ? 

What  events  took  place  in  India  ? 

In  what  country  did  another  war  occur  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY,  391 

A  great  victory  at  Meanee,  February  17,  1843,  and  after- 
ward took  Hyderabad;  and,  on  March  24th,  gained  an- 
other victory  at  Dubba.  The  tranquillity  of  Scinde  has 
beeu,  since  that  time,  undisturbed.  Another  war,  how- 
ever, broke  out  subsequently  in  the  district  entitled  the 
Punjab,  an  Indian  name  derived  from  five  rivers  by  which 
it  is  watered.  These  rivers  take  their  rise  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Himalaya  mountains,  the  highest  in  the  world, 
which  bound  Hindostan  on  the  north,  and,  after  flowing 
through  the  Punjab,  run  into  the  Indus.  This  fine  country 
was  inhabited  by  the  Sikhs,  a  hardy  and  warlike  race, 
who,  on  the  12th  December,  1845,  and  the  following  days, 
crossed  the  Sutlej,  the  river  by  which  they  were  bounded 
on  the  south,  thus  invading  the  British  territory,  and  on 
the  18th  made  an  attack  on  a  British  army  at  Moodkee. 
In  this  attack  they  were  repulsed,  and  they  were  subse- 
quently compelled  to  retreat,  and  were  afterward  defeated 
at  Ferozeshah  on  the  21st  and  22d  of  the  same  month; 
and  again,  at  Aliwal,  January  28th,  and  at  Sobraon,  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1846,  when  they  were  driven  back  across  the 
Sutlej  with  immense  slaughter.  In  1848  the  war  was  re- 
newed. A  bloody  but  indecisive  action  was  fought  at 
Chillianwallah,  January  13,  1849,  in  which  the  British 
army  was  commanded  by  Lord  Gough.  This  indecisive 
battle,  though  called  a  victory,  was,  in  England,  at  first 
regarded  as  almost  a  defeat;  and  Sir  Charles  Napier, 
whose  great  success,  a  few  years  before,  in  the  war  in 
Scinde,  had  acquired  for  him  an  exceedingly  high  reputa- 
tion, was  appointed  to  succeed  Lord  Gough  as  commander- 
in-chief.  The  disappointment,  however,  which  arose  from 
the  battle  of  Chillianwallah*  was  soon  relieved  by  the  in- 
telligence of  the  capture  of  Mooltan,  and  of  a  decisive 
victory  obtained  by  Lord  Gough  at  Goojerat,  February 
21st.  The  result  of  this  victory  was  an  unconditional 
surrender  of  the  Sikhs,  and  the  annexation  of  the  Punjab 
to  the  British  dominions. 

*  Nearly  the  spot,  as  is  supposed,  where  Alexander  the  Great 


Did  a  war  break  out  in  the  Punjab  ? 
Who  commanded  the  British  troops  ? 


-3-02  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

During  the  course  of  these  events  in  distant  lands,  the 
domestic  peace  of  England  had  happily  not  been  inter- 
rupted by  any  hostility  with  either  the  powers  of  the  Con- 
tinent of  Europe,  or  with  the  United  States  of  America. 
The  strong  feeling  of  the  desirableness  of  universal  peace, 
and  especially  of  peace  with  this  great  country,  which  took 
its  origin  from  our  own  shores,  appears  to  acquire,  every 
day,  a  more  and  more  powerful  influence  in  subduing  those 
occasional  asperities  and  jealousies  which,  in  the  inter- 
course of  nations,  are  apt  to  arise. 

The  changes,  however,  in  the  commercial  and  manu- 
facturing policy  of  our  country  have  not  been  less,  or  less 
important,  during  these  peaceful  years,  than  the  changes 
might  have  been  from  war  to  peace,  or  from  peace  to  war. 
The  Parliament  which  had  been  elected  on  the  Queen's 
accession  was  dissolved  in  June,  1841,  and  the  new  elec- 
tions appeared  to  show  that-  the  administration  of  Lord 
Melbourne  had  lost  much  of  its  hold  on  public  opinion. 
Consequently  Lord  Melbourne  resigned,  and  Sir  Robert 
Peel  came  into  office  at  the  head  of  a  new  ministry,  Sep- 
tember 1st,  in  that  year.  The  study  to  remove,  as  far  a? 
possible,  all  legislative  fetters  on  both  commerce  and  manu- 
factures was  among  the  first  principles  of  tho  new  govern- 
ment. Almost  all  the  import  duties  on  foreign  goods 
were  greatly  diminished — a  measure  which  has  been  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  increase  in  the  export  of  the  British 
manufactures,  which  are  sent  abroad  in  exchange  for  these 
goods,  and  by  which,  in  fact,  they  are  purchased.  Tho 
most  important  bearing  of  this  policy  was  on-  the  heavy 
duties  which,  for  the  sake  of  protecting  the  British  agri- 
culturist, had  been  now  levied,  ever  since  the  peace  of 
1815,  on  the  importation  of  foreign  corn.  An  act  for 
modifying  these  laws  was  passed  in  the  session  of  1842 ; 
and  in  order  to  compensate  the  loss  of  revenue,  neces- 
sarily consequent  on  these  changes,  a  new  property  or  in- 
come tax  of  sevenpence  in  the  pound  was  imposed  on  all 
incomes  above  £150  a  year.     A  subsequent  act  for  the 


Was  the  peace  of  England  disturbed? 

Were  changes  made  in  the  policy  of  the  country  ? 

Who  came  into  office  ? 

What  is  said  of  import  duties  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  393 

nearly  absolute  repeal  of  tLe  corn-laws  was  carried  through 
Parliament  in  1846,  and  received  the  royal  assent  June 
26th  in  that  year.  The  contest  which  arose  on  that  occa- 
sion was  unusually  bitter  and  vehement.  Most  of  the 
county  members  in  particular,  who  had  previously  been 
among  the  minister's  chief  supporters,  now  took  part 
against  him,  and  accused  him  of  deserting  the  conserva- 
tive principles  on  which  he  had  come  forward  in  public 
life.  Hence  another  change  of  ministry.  Sir  Robert  Peel 
resigned,  and  a  new  administration  was  formed  under  Lord 
John  Russell,  July  4th. 

Amid  the  agitations  arising  from  these  causes  in  Eng- 
land, the  failure  of  the  crop  of  the  potato  in  1845  and 
1846,  plunged  the  Irish,  who  have  long  been  greatly  de- 
pendent on  this  plant  for  food,  into  the  deepest  distress. 
This  distress  was  also  aggravated  by  a  deficiency  of  the 
corn  crop  of  1846,  not  in  Ireland  only,  but  also  through- 
out England  and  almost  the  whole  of  Europe.  It  was 
partially  relieved  in  1847,  by  an  abundant  harvest,  by  a 
grant  of  ten  millions  from  Parliament,  by  a  vast  private 
subscription,  and  by  emigrations  to  America  and  other 
countries.  It  has  also  been  attempted,  by  the  enactment 
of  a  Poor-law  for  Ireland,  and  by  measures  intended  to 
promote  the  agriculture  and  encourage  the  industry  of  this 
fertile  island,  to  render  its  great  natural  resources  available 
to  the  support  of  its  inhabitants.  But  the  benefit  to  be 
derived  from  these  attempts  has  as  yet  been  very  imper- 
fect, and  has  been,  moreover,  seriously  impeded  by  various 
tumults  and  even  insurrections.  These  have  been  headed 
by  vehement  orators,  who  clamored  for  a  repeal  of  the 
union  with  England,  and  thought,  or  pretended  to  think, 
that  they  might  look  to  political  changes  for  remedies  only 
to  be  found  in  soocial  tranquillity,  and  in  promoting  the 
sympathies  of  all  ranks  with  one  another.  Mr.  Smith 
O'Brien,  a  man  of  one  of  the  families  of  highest  rank  in 
Ireland,  took  the  lead  in  a  riot  in  Tipperary,  in  which  two 
or  three  lives  were  lost,  in  June,  1848;  but  this  riot  was 


Who  next  became  prime  minister  ? 

What  crop  failed  in  Ireland  ?  did  other  crops  fail  ? 

Did  tumults  arise  in  Ireland  ? 

Vho  was  Smith  O'Brien  ? 


394  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

instantly  suppressed;  and  he  and  some  of  his  followers 
were  subsequently  arrested  and  tried  for  high  treason,  and 
found  guilty,  but  their  lives  were  spared,  and  they  were 
transported  for  life. 

In  the  following  year,  1849,  Queen  Victoria  visited 
Ireland,  and  was  received  with  the  greatest  demonstrations 
of  respect  and  regard.  It  appears  to  be  probable  that  the 
royal  visits  to  Ireland  will  be  frequently  repeated  in  future ; 
and  the  more  probable,  inasmuch  as  the  Lord  Lieutenancy 
of  that  island  is  likely  to  be  abolished — an  office  which, 
though  never  better  filled  than  of  late,  by  Lord  Clarendon, 
is  thought  both  to  be  of  needless  expense,  and  also  to  in- 
troduce a  complexity  in  the  relations  with  the  government 
in  London,  which  it  is  wise  to  remove.  The  reasons  which 
operated  for  the  retention  of  the  office  at  the  period  of  the 
union  have  long  ceased  to  exist:  and  the  rapidity  and  cer- 
tainty of  those  methods  of  communication  which  recent 
years  have  introduced,  bring  now  the  remotest  parts  not 
of  England  and  Scotland  only,  but  of  Ireland  also,  into  al- 
most immediate  contact  with  each  other.  There  is  not 
any  thing  for  which  we  have  to  be  more  thankful  than 
that  neither  those  most  painful  calamities  which  have  taken 
place  in  Ireland,  nor*yet  a  great  distress  which  has  pre- 
vailed in  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  nor  any  agitation  of 
parties,  or  opposing  interests,  in  any  other  parts  of  the 
empire,  have  appeared  to  blind  any  considerable  number 
of  the  inhabitants  of  our  own  island  to  that  wisdom  which 
seeks  its  good  in  tranquillity ;  or,  it  may  be  hoped,  to  that 
spirit  of  religion  which  submits  in  hope  and  faith  to  the 
Supreme  Disposer  of  events. 

Far  happier  in  this  respect  has  been  the  fortune  of 
England  than  that  of  France,  Italy,  Austria,  Prussia,  Portu- 
gal, or  Spain.  In  France,  where  an  under-current  of  vehe- 
ment democracy  had  subsisted  all  through  the  seventeen 
years  of  the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe,  a  new  and  sudden 
revolution  broke  out  February  22,  1848.  On  the  24th 
the  prisons  were  thrown  open,  the  palace  of  the  Tuilcries 


How  was  the  Queen  received  in  Ireland  f 

For  what  should  England  be  thankful  ? 

Compare  the  fortune  of  England  and  that  of  other  countries. 

What  new  revolution  broke  out  in  France  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  '  396 

was  taken  possession  of  and  plundered  by  the  mob,  and 
the  King  and  Queen  forced  to  fly  to  England,  where  they 
found  an  asylum  at  Claremont — a  place  still  the  property  of 
their  son-in-law,  Leopold,  king  of  the  Belgians,  whose  first 
wife  had  been  the  short-lived  Princess  Charlotte  of  Wales. 

In  this  new  revolution  in  France,  which  was  followed 
immediately  by  the  proclamation  of  a  Republic,  many  of 
the  watchwords  and  theories  of  the  Revolution  of  1789 
were  brought  forward  over  again  by  the  actors  in  it. 
Liberty,  equality,  and  fraternity  were  proclaimed  in  every 
street  and  by  all  its  orators,  as  their  maxims  or  principles; 
and  many  declarations  put  forth  that  an  organization,  as  it 
was  called,  of  labor  might  be  formed  which  should  abolish 
poverty,  and  that  it  Was  the  business  of  the  State  to  find 
work  for  all  who  could  labor,  as  well  as  to  support  the  old 
and  infirm. 

These  doctrines  and  this  example  could  not  be  writhout 
some  effect  in  England  and  Ireland.  March  13th,  a  numer- 
ous meeting  of  the  Chdrtists  was  held  on  Kennington  Com- 
mon. A  convention  of  Chartist  delegates  met  in  London, 
April  4th ;  and  on  the  10th  a  great  body  of  their  delegates 
and  partisans,  wrearing  rosettes  of  white,  green,  and  red, 
assembled  in  John  Street,  Fitzroy-square,  and  adjourned  in 
procession  to  another  meeting  on  Kennington  Common. 
The  crowd  thus  assembled  was  supposed  to  amount  alto- 
gether to  the  number  of  23,000  or  25,000,  and  the  leaders 
had  intended  to  proceed  to  the  House  of  Commons  to 
present  their  petition.  Much  apprehension  was  enter- 
tained that  some  serious  disturbance,  similar  to  those 
which  at  Paris,  Vienna,  Berlin,  and  other  capitals,  had 
produced  such  bloody  and  disastrous  events,  might  on 
this  occasion  take  place.  Intimation  was  consequently 
given  that  the  procession,  if  attempted,  would  be  stopped 
by  force.  The  shops  were  shut  in  all  the  great  thorough- 
fares. Bodies  of  horse  and  foot  police  were  posted  at  the 
approaches  of  the  several  bridges  over  the  Thames.  A 
large  force  of  regular  troops  were  stationed,  by  the  saga- 
cious provision  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  out  of  sight  in 


What  the  effect  in  England  ? 

What  measures  were  taken  by  the  Duke  of  Wellington  ? 


J96  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

various  places.  The  great  commander  watched  in  person 
on  this  day  over  the  safety  of  London,  and  ordered  the 
measures  taken  for  its  security.  Also  a  very  large  body  of 
special  constables  volunteered  their  services  in  all  parts  of 
the  town.  Under  these  circumstances  the  meeting  on  the 
common  passed  off  quietly ;  the  crowds  which  had  assem- 
bled and  paraded  through  the  streets  in  other  parts  of 
London  dispersed  without  tumult ;  and  the  general  feeling 
that  the  principle  of  order  and  respect  for  property  is  far 
too  strong  in  England  to  be  assailed  with  success,  or  with 
any  possible  advantage  to  any  rank  or  class  of  society,  is 
thought  to  have  received  a  very  strong  and  useful  con- 
firmation from  these  events.  The  riot  in  Ireland,  which 
was  headed  by  Mr.  Smith  O'Brien  in  the  month  of  June 
in  this  year,  has  been  mentioned  already.  A  meeting,  in 
which  the  same  Mr.  O'Brien  had  taken  part,  and  in  which 
/cry  inflammatory  speeches  were  made,  and  an  address 
voted  to  the  French  Republic,  had  previously  been  held 
in  Dublin,  March  20th.  This  address  was  presented  in 
Paris,  April  3d. 

The  example  of  France,  or  rather  the  great  explosion 
which  had  taken  place  in  that  country,  had  at  this  time 
communicated  itself,  or  was  in  progress  of  a  rapid  communi- 
cation to  almost  all  the  other  countries  of  Europe,  in  most 
of  which  the  seeds  of  revolution,  or,  at  least,  of  discontent 
with  their  governments,  were  already  sown.  In  Tuscany, 
the  Grand  Duke  had,  on  February  11th  in  this  year,  granted 
a  representative  constitution  to  that  great  and  flourishing 
duchy.  On  the  18th  of  the  same  month  the  inhabitants 
of  Milan  expelled  the  Austrian  viceroy,  and  on  the  follow- 
ing day  the  flag  of  Italian  independence  was  hoisted  in  all 
the  towns  of  Northern  Italy.  The  King  of  Sardinia,  in 
the  vain  expectation  of  uniting  Lombardy  to  Piedmont, 
afterward  joined  in  the  same  cause,  and  a  long  series  of 
fierce  hostilities  followed.  The  Austrian  power,  however, 
at  length  resumed  its  ascendency.  Milan  capitulated  to 
the  imperial  general,  August  4th,  and  Venice,  after  a  mosi 


Were  the  seeds  of  revolution  in  any  of  the  countries  of  Europe  ? 

What  occurred  jn  Italy  ? 

Did  reforms  result  from  these  disturbances  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  397 

determined  resistance,  August  22,  1849.  Vehement  and 
oloody  contests  took  place  also  both  at  Naples  and  in 
Sicily.  In  Rome  Pius  IX.,  who  had  been  elected  Pope 
on  the  death  of  Gregory  XVI.  in  June,  1846,  granted  to 
his  States,  March  14,  1848,  a  Legislature,  consisting  of  a 
Senate  and  a  Chamber  of  Deputies.  These  reforms,  how- 
ever, were  either  inadequate  to  the  ocoasion,  or  gave  an 
impulse  to  demand  further  concessions.  The  Pope,  unable 
or  irresolute  to  face  the  opposition  thus  excited,  fled  in 
disguise  on  December  24th  of  this  same  eventful  year,  and 
escaped  to  Gaeta,  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  France  sub- 
sequently embraced  his  cause,  and  by  sending  an  over- 
whelming force,  took  Rome,  after  a  most  brave  resistance, 
July  3,  1849.  A  comparative  tranquillity  was  then  re- 
stored, and  the  Pope  has  since  (April  12,  1850)  returned 
to  his  capital. 

Germany,  in  the  mean  time,  was  not  less  disturbed 
than  Italy.  An  insurrection  took  place  at  Vienna,  March 
13,  1848.  The  Emperor  of  Austria  fled  to  Innspruck, 
May  18th,  but  returned  to  Vienna  August  15.  In  the 
latter  end  of  May  a  Congress  assembled  at  Frankfort,  in 
which  it  was  proposed  to  consolidate  all  the  German  states 
under  some  new  constitution ;  and  in  the  following  March 
the  Archduke  John,  brother  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
was  elected  Lieuten  ant-General  of  Germany,  and  accepted 
the  office.  But  these  proceedings  failed  to  effect  any 
permanent  good.  In  the  end  of  October  new  conflicts 
took  place  in  Vienna,  and  the  popular  party,  consisting 
of  the  lowest  dregs  of  society,  became  ascendant  for  a 
time.  At  length  the  Emperor's  authority  was  again  estab- 
lished, and  an  army  of  Hungarians  was  defeated,  which 
had  come  to  aid  his  opponents.  A  war  in  Hungary  fol- 
lowed, in  which  the  Austrians,  though  met  by  the  bravest 
and  most  determined  resistance,  were  at  length  victorious. 
In  this  war  with  Hungary  Russia  lent  her  powerful  aid  to 
the  Austrians. 

To  conclude  as  briefly  as  possible  what  remains  to  be 
said  of  the  convulsions  of  Europe  during  the  year  1848, 


Was  Germany  agitated  by  insurrections  J 
Any  war  in  Hungary  t 


398  ENGLISH     HISTORY. 

Fierce  and  bloody  tumults  took  place  iu  Berlin  in  March 
of  this  year,  and  were  renewed  in  June.  The  Danish 
provinces  of  Schleswig  and  Holstein,  desirous  to  annex 
themselves  to  Germany,  revolted  against  Denmark,  and 
the  King  of  Prussia  espoused  their  cause.  Switzerland 
also,  and  both  Spain  and  Portugal,  were  full  of  conflict 
and  animosity. 

The  Dowager  Queen  Adelaide  died,  after  a  long  de- 
cline, at  the  age  of  fifty-seven,  December  2,  1849.  No 
person  in  any  rank  of  life  ever  died  either  more  loved  for 
her  quiet  virtues  or  more  conspicuous  for  her  kindly  and 
liberal  charities.  No  one  ever  felt  more  sincerely  that 
worldly  greatness  is  as  nothing  in  the  sight  of  God ;  and 
she  had  desired,  a  short  time  before  her  death,  that  the 
ceremony  of  embalming,  and  much  of  that  state  which  is 
ordinary  at  royal  funerals,  should  be  set  aside  at  her  own. 


Under  the  head  of  the  preceding  reign,  a  brief  account 
has  already  been  given  of  the  commencement  of  that  great 
system  of  Railways  which  has  since  produced  most  im- 
portant changes  throughout  our  whole  land.  The  greedi- 
ness of  gain  and  the  extravagant  expenditure  into  which 
adventurers,  who  thought  that  they  were  about  to  obtain 
enormous  profits,  imprudently  plunged,  brought  on  at 
length  in  some  cases  ruinous  losses,  and  in  others  an 
alarming  panic,  which  appeared  to  reach  their  crisis  in 
1847,  and  by  which  many  of  these  undertakings  have 
been  overwhelmed,  others  suspended,  and  all  depressed. 
But  still  these  railway  communications,  throughout  almost 
our  whole  island,  subsist,  and  indeed,  on  the  whole,  in- 
crease, and  daily  ripen  into  some  new  benefit  or  commer- 
cial advantage.  And  yet  even  the  metamorphosis  of  the 
railway,  although  it  has  changed  almost  the  whole  aspect 
of  England  to  the  traveller's  eye,  is  a  less  marvel  than  that 
of  the  Electric  Telegraphs,  which  are  constructed  on  al- 
most all  the  more  considerable  railway  lines,  and  by  which 
messages  may  be  sent  and  answers  received,  and  inforina* 


The  character  of  Queen  Adelaide  ? 

What  great  public  improvements  were  undertaken  ? 

The  railways  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  399 

lion  of  eveiy  kind  transmitted,  from  one  end  of  England 
to  another,  with  the  speed  of  thought. 

The  whole  system  of  the  Post-Office  has  also  been  sub- 
jected during  the  present  reign  to  great  alterations,  and 
received  essential  improvements,  introduced  chiefly  at  the 
suggestion  of  Mr.  Rowland  Hill.  The  charges  for  the 
postage  of  letters  had  long  been  felt  to  be  much  too  high, 
and  were  known  to  check  in  an  injurious  and  unkindly  de- 
gree the  communications  both  of  the  middling  and  the 
poorer  classes  with  one  another.  The  postage  of  a  letter 
from  London  to  Oxford  was  eightpence,  and  to  Edinburgh 
a  shilling,  and  so  in  proportion  for  other  distances.  In- 
stead of  this  expensive  scale  we  have  now  had,  ever  since 
January  10,  1840,  the  daily  gratification  of  receiving  our 
letters,  and  from  any  part  either  of  Great  Britain  or  Ire- 
land, at  the  cost  of  one  penny  if  not  of  more  than  half  an 
ounce  weight.  Many  other  alterations  also  have  been 
made  of  the  former  system.  Franking  has  been  abolished ; 
the  mails  are  now  dispatched  from  London  by  the  rail- 
ways, and  not  by  mail-coaches,  and  twice  instead  of  once 
a  day,  and  to  some  places  oftener.  Besides  these  changes, 
a  cheap  money-order  office  has  also  been  established,  by 
which  all  but  the  mere  village  postmasters  may  transmit  to 
each  other  orders  for  the  payment  of  any  sums  not  exceed- 
ing five  pounds.  The  effect  of  a  transition  from  a  very 
dear  system  of  the  same  sort  to  this  cheap  system  is  highly 
remarkable.  In  the  quarter  ending  January  5, 1840,  which 
was  before  the  alteration,  40,763  money-orders  were  is- 
sued in  England  and  Wales,  for  sums  amounting  alto- 
gether to  £67,411.  The  number  issued  in  the  quarter 
ending  January  5, 1849,  was  4,203,727,  and  for  an  amount 
of  £8,151.295.  The  number  of  letters  which  passed 
through  the  post-office  in  the  week  ending  December  22, 
1839,  was  1,585,973,  and  in  the  week  ending  February  2, 
1849,  6,849,196. 

It  was  observed,  in  the  account  of  the  last  reign,  that 
the  Houses  of  Parliament  were  destroyed  by  fire  in  the 


What  improvements  in  the  dost-offlce  ? 
Who  was  the  author  of  the  law  or  change  ? 
What  are  chea  pmoney-orders  ? 
Were  the  numbers  of  letters  increased  ? 


400  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

year  1834,  and  that  designs  were  subsequently  made  by 
Mr.  Barry,  and  approved  of,  for  rebuilding  them.  The 
more  important  portions  of  the  new  buildings  are  at  length 
nearly  completed,  and  the  House  of  Peers  was  opened  in 
1 847.  The  Custom-House,  also  the  Royal  Exchange,  which 
were  destroyed  by  fire,  the  one  in  1837  and  the  other  in 
1838,  have  been  rebuilt :  and  the  new  Exchange  was  opened 
by  the  Queen  in  state  in  October,  1843.  The  Tunnel 
under  the  Thames,  begun  in  the  preceding  reign,  was 
completed  in  March  of  the  same  year.  The  British  Mu- 
seum, which  has  been  constantly  increasing  its  treasures 
of  antiquity,  art,  and  science,  and  attracting  a  larger 
number  both  of  readers  and  visitors,  has  been  almost  re- 
built at  great  expense,  and  on  a  most  extensive  scale.  The 
Xanthian  marbles,  brought  from  Lycia  by  Sir  Charles 
Fellows,  were  opened  to  public  view,  February  6,  1843. 
The  still  more  remarkable  sculptures  discovered  at  Nim- 
roud,  the  supposed  site  of  ancient  Nineveh,  by  Mr.  Layard, 
were  placed  in  the  Museum  June  21,  1847.  Many  more, 
and  not  less  successful  researches,  have  since  been  made 
in  the  same  region  by  this  intelligent  and  enterprising 
traveller,  which  will  supply  eventually  additional  illustra- 
tions of  the  oldest  histories  in  existence,  and  of  the  sacred 
history  in  particular. 

Neither  yet  have  the  improvements  in  this  vast  metrop- 
olis been  confined  to  the  restoration  and  enlargement  of 
public  buildings,  or  to  the  accumulation  of  new  stores  in 
the  Museum.  Almost  a  new  city  has  sprung  up  to  the 
north  of  Hyde  Park ;  and  a  new  park  on  the  northeast  of 
London,  to  which  the  name  of  Victoria  Park  has  been  as- 
signed in  honor  of  the  Queen,  affords  a  breathing-place  to 
the  inhabitants  of  that  part  of  the  town,  of  which  they  had 
long  been  in  want.  Many  more  improvements  both  in 
London  and  in  many  provincial  towns  might  be  pointed 
out,  but  must  be  here  passed  by.  It  ought  not,  however, 
to  be  omitted  that  a  commencement  has  been  made  of  ex- 
tensive efforts  to  remedy  the  want  of  suitable  dwellings 


What  buildings  were  erected  ? 

What  ancient  sculptures  were  brought  to  England  ? 

The  tunnel  under  the  Thames  ? 

Where  is  the  Victoria  Park  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  40J 

for  the  poorer  classes,  and  to  supply  them  with  bettei 
means  of  comfort  and  cleanliness  than  are  attainable  in  the 
narrow  courts  and  unhealthy  neighborhoods  in  which  they 
are  commonly  crowded.  To  this  end  many  model  lodging- 
houses,  and  baths  and  wash-houses,  some  of  them  on  a 
very  large  scale,  have  been  constructed  in  London  and 
other  places.  A  bill  also  was  introduced,  in  April,  1850, 
into  Parliament,  by  which  the  burial  of  all  persons  who 
die  in  London  must  be  transferred  to  cemeteries  at  some 
distance  from  town. 

The  reasonableness  of  these  provisions,  or  rather  the 
urgent  necessity  by  which  they  are  dictated,  has  been 
brought  the  more  forcibly  before  the  public  mind  by  the 
reappearance,  in  the  autumn  of  1848,  of  that  alarming  dis- 
ease the  Asiatic  cholera,  of  which  the  previous  ravages  in 
1831  and  1832  are  not  forgotten.  This  disease,  which 
lasted  nearly  a  year,  has  been  even  more  fatal  on  this 
recent  visitation  than  on  the  former.  It  is  aggravated  by 
nothing  more  than  by  want  of  cleanliness  ;  and  the  great 
majority  of  its  victims  has  always  been  found  among  the 
ill-drained  and  ill-ventilated  habitations  of  the  poor. 

The  pacific  and  commercial  intercourse  of  England 
with  her  colonies,  and  with  foreign  nations,  during  the 
period  here  spoken  of,  has  steadily  increased,  and  the  re- 
sources of  emigration  and  colonization  have  every  year  ap- 
peared to  become  the  more  necessary  to  furnish  the  means 
of  employment  and  support  for  the  increased  multitudes 
of  our  countrymen.  Upper  Canada,  notwithstanding  the 
distractions  of  which  that  colony  has  been  the  scene,  has 
attracted  a  perpetually  augmenting  number  of  settlers.  The 
United  States,  and  especially  its  immense  western  terri- 
tory, has  absorbed  many  more.  Australia,  though  with 
some  reverses,  has  yet  on  the  whole  rapidly  increased  both 
in  population  and  wealth;  and  the  islands  of  New  Zealand 
have  not  taken  the  less  hold  of  English  enterprise  and  in 
dustry  because  placed  at  the  very  opposite  extremity  of 
the  globe. 

At  the  same  time  our  means  of  communication  with 

What  hae  been  the  intercourse  of  England  with  her  colonies  ? 
To  what  countries  have  emigrants  gone  ? 
18 


402  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

both  America  and  our  Indian  empire  have  been  almost  a.t 
much  facilitated  by  the  increase  and  improvement  of  steam 
navigation,  as  our  intercourse  with  the  different  parts  of 
our  own  island  by  the  introduction  of  railways.  Steam 
navigation,  though  brought  very  generally  into  use  between 
the  several  ports  of  the  United  Kingdom,  and  many  of 
those  of  the  continent  of  Europe,  in  the  reign  of  George 
IV.,  was  opened  to  America  in  1838;  the  "Great  West- 
em,"  steamship  to  New  York,  reaching  that  port  June  l'/th 
in  that  year,  after  a  passage  of  fifteen  days.  The  com- 
munication with  India,  which  used  to  occupy,  in  the  long 
voyage  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  a  period  of  from 
four  to  five  months,  and  often  more,  is  now  effected,  and 
almost  with  certainty,  in  five  or  six  weeks.  Or,  to  speak 
more  particularly,  what  is  called  the  overland  passage  to 
India  is  now  commonly  made  by  steam  navigation  to 
Malta  and  Alexandria,  and  then  again  by  Cairo  and  across 
the  desert  to  Suez,  and  thence  by  the  Red  Sea.  By  this 
route  the  transit  from  England  to  Bombay  is  ordinarily 
accomplished  in  from  thirty  to  thirty-five  days,  and  that  to 
Calcutta  in  ten  days  more. 

To  these  events  thus  more  peculiarly  appertaining  to 
our  own  history  it  remains  to  be  added,  that  in  the  course 
of  the  last  few  years  discoveries  of  gold  have  been  made 
in  California,  which  carry  back  the  mind  to  the  early  his- 
tory of  the  settlement  of  the  Spaniards  in  Mexico,  and 
which  have  excited  scarcely  less  cupidity.  It  may  also  be 
added,  that  it  appears  to  be  likely  that  the  system  of  rail- 
roads will  be  extended  across  the  vast  continent  of  America, 
and  that  a  ship-canal,  which  had  long  seemed  to  be  among 
the  day-dreams  of  geographers,  is  at  length  about  to  be 
constructed  across  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  by  which  the 
Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans  will  be  joined. 

To  these  great  results  both  of  skill  and  of  enterprise  in 
almost  all  the  accessible  portions  of  the  globe,  it  was,  for 
a  time,  hoped  and  wished — but  we  must  now  at  length 
fear  vainly  wished — that  the  arctic  regions  of  the  western 
nemisphere  might  furnish  gratifying  addition.     These  re- 

What  has  been  the  effect  of  steam  navigation  ? 
Of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  f 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  403 

gions,  although  bound  up  in  a  chain  of  ice,  which  has  as 
yet  proved  impassable,  have  provoked,  even  by  the  diffi- 
culties which  they  present  to  the  navigator,  and  by  past 
failures,  the  desire  to  penetrate  them,  and  to  accomplish 
the  problem  of  the  northwest  passage  from  Hudson's  Bay 
to  Beh ring's  Straits. 

Among  the  attempts  to  attain  -this  object,  that  of  Sir 
John  Ross,  who  sailed  from  England  in  1829,  is  one  of  the 
most  memorable.  But  he  was  unable  to  proceed  farther 
than  to  Repulse  Bay,  where  he  was  blocked  up  by  the 
ice,  and  long  remained  unheard  of;  and  was  almost 
despaired  of,  when,  after  not  less  than  four  years'  absence, 
he  returned,  to  the  great  joy  of  his  friends  and  the  public. 
Sir  John  Franklin,  who  had  previously  explored  these  icy 
regions  in  1819-22,  and  reached  in  1825-27  the  coast  of 
the  northern  sea  by  a  land  journey  from  Canada,  undeter- 
red by  the  failures  of  the  many  previous  attempts  to  effect 
the  passage  by  sea,  sailed  on  another  trial  in  May,  1845. 
But  no  tidings  have  been  yet  received  of  him,  although 
many  efforts  have  been  already  made  to  send  him  assist 
ance,  or  to  ascertain  his  fate. 


CHAPTER    XLI. 

REIGN    OF    QUEEN    VICTORIA. PART    II. 

[Years  after  Christ,  1851— 1858.] 

The  year  1851  will  be  long  remembered  as  the  year 
of  the  Great  Exhibition  of  the  Industry  of  all  Nations. 
The  design  of  this  Exhibition,  if  not  suggested,  was  at  least 
supported  from  the  first,  and  energetically  and  successfully 
carried  through,  by  Prince  Albert.  The  building  in  which 
it  was  held  was  remarkable  as  well  for  the  novelty  of  its 
design  as  for  its  great  extent.  It  was  erected  in  Hyde 
Park,  and  covered  nineteen  acres  of  ground.     This  vast 

The  northwest  passage  ? 
The  great  exhibition  ? 


-104  ENGLISH     HISTORY. 

building  was  constructed  of  glass  and  iron,  and  was  found 
admirably  suited  for  the  display  of  the  immense  variety 
of  objects  of  every  description  of  interest  which  were  there 
brought  together  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  con- 
tents of  this  fragile  edifice  were  valued  at  more  than  two 
millions  sterling,  and  this  open  display  cf  so  great  wealth 
was  a  proof  of  the  security  which  England  enjoyed.  The 
undertaking  was  completely  successful.  The  Exhibition 
was  kept  open  for  twenty-three  weeks,  and  the  number 
of  persons  admitted  to  it  during  that  time  was  more 
than  six  millions.  Thousands  of  visitors  were  con- 
veyed from  all  parts  of  the  country  by  cheap  excursion 
trains  on  the  various  railroads ;  and  altogether  it  may  be 
safely  said  that  never  before  was  an  equal  amount  of  grati- 
fication and  instruction  so  widely  diffused. 

This  splendid  work  has  since  been  copied  in  other 
buildings  of  great  extent  raised  for  purposes  of  exhibition 
at  Paris,  New  York,  Dublin,  and  Manchester,  and  the 
original  materials  have  been  bought  by  a  company,  and 
removed  and  reerected  at  Sydenham,  with  some  alterations1 
of  design,  as  a  permanent  structure,  which  still  retains  the 
fanciful  title,  popularly  bestowed  on  its  predecessor,  of  the 
Crystal  Palace. 

In  the  year  1851  a  discovery  was  made  of  extensive 
gold  fields  in  Australia,  and  this  has  led  to  a  great  increase 
of  emigration  to  that  colony. 

The  close  of  the  following  year,  1852,  was  marked  by 
the  death  (September  14)  and  public  funeral  of  the  Duke 
of  Wellington.  The  funeral  took  place  in  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral  (November  18)  with  every  demonstration  of  na- 
tional sorrow  and  respect.  Not  many  days  later  (Decem- 
ber 1)  the  reestablishment  of  the  French  Empire  under 
Prince  Louis  Napoleon,  the  nephew  of  the  first  Napoleon, 
the  Duke's  old  antagonist,  was  proclaimed  by  the  Legisla- 
tive Assembly  of  France.  The  new  Emperor  was  imme- 
diately acknowledged  and  congratulated  on  his  accession 


How  long  kept  open  ? 

To  what  country  was  there  a  great  emigration  ? 

Whose  death  is  mentioned  ? 

What  empire  was  re-established  ? 

Who  was  the  emperor? 


ENGLISH     HISTORY.  40b 

by  the  English  ambassador  at  Paris.  lie  has  ever  since 
steadily  maintained  the  closest  alliance  with  England 
Friendly  visits  have  been  exchanged  between  the  monarch* 
of  these  two  great  countries ;  and  we  may  trust  that  the 
two  nations  are  fully  avake  to  the  benefits  of  mutual  peace, 
and  that  all  unchristian  feelings  of  national  jealousy  and  dis- 
like have  passed  away. 

The  increase  of  commerce  and  the  improvement  in 
communications  have  scarcely  ever  flagged  during  the 
whole  period  of  which  we  are  now  speaking.  New  lines 
of  railway  have  been  opened,  not  in  our  own  islands  only, 
but  also  in  our  principal  dependencies,  Canada,  India,  and 
even  Australia.  But  the  most  remarkable  application  of 
science  to  the  uses  of  life  in  modern  times  has  been  in  the 
Electric  Telegraph.  This  discovery  enables  intelligible 
signs  to  be  transmitted  instantaneously  by  electricity  from 
one  end  of  a  wire  to  the  other,  however  distant.  This 
principle  has  rapidly  been  reduced,  to  a  system.  Lines  of 
wires  have  been  extended  in  a  few  years  over  a  great  part 
of  the  civilized  world,  and  means  have  been  found  for 
carrying  these  wires  under  the  sea,  imbedded  in  a  cable 
ingeniously  contrived,  which  protects  them  from  injury. 

The  first  Submarine  Telegraph,  crossing  the  Straits  of 
Dover,  was  successfully  laid  September  27,  1851.  In  less 
than  seven  years  from  that  date,  after  great  difficulties 
and  several  failures,  the  signal  triumph  was  accomplished 
(August  5,  1858)  of  laying  a  cable  across  the  Atlantic 
from  Valentia  on  the  Irish  coast  to  the  shores  of  New- 
foundland. We  cannot  deny  ourselves  the  pleasure  of  re- 
cording the  words  and  adopting  the  prayer,  first  carried 
from  the  New  World  to  the  Old  by  this,  the  greatest  work 
of  modern  days :  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on 
earth  peace,  good-will  toward  men."  * 

We  must  now  recur  to  the  mention  made  in  a  former 
page  of  the  point  which  had  been  reached  by  Arctic  dis- 

*  Another  cable  was  successfully  laid  between  the  same  placce  in 
ihe  summer  of  1866. 


What  means  of  communication  have  increased  ? 
Where  was  laid  the  first  aubmarine  telegraph  ? 


406  ENGLISH     HISTORY. 

covery  in  the  year  1850.  Since  that  time  the  long-sought 
Northwest  passage  has  been  at  length  found  to  exist, 
though  for  the  purposes  of  commerce  it  can  never  be  of 
any  real  service.  The  Investigator,  commanded  by  Cap- 
tain McClure,  entered  the  Arctic  seas  by  Behring's  Straits 
in  the  summer  of  1850.  After  taking  up  his  winter 
quarters  on  the  shore  of  Baring  Island,  he  proceeded  to 
explore  the  neighboring  regions  by  parties  travelling  over 
the  frozen  sea.  On  the  26th  of  October  he  discovered  a 
passage  leading  into  Barrow's  Strait,  and  thus  communi- 
cating through  Davis's  Strait  with  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 

During  the  whole  of  the  next  season  (that  of  1851)  the 
ice  never  broke  up  sufficiently  to  enable  the  voyagers  to 
extricate  themselves  from  their  position ;  but  eventually, 
though  compelled  to  abandon  their  vessel,  and  to  seek  a 
different  route  for  their  return,  and  after  encountering  dif- 
ficulties too  long  to  be  here  detailed,  they  returned  to 
England. 

Meanwhile  no  trace  of  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his  brave 
companions  was  discovered.  Every  year,  however,  added 
to  the  conviction  that  it  was  impossible  that  they  could 
still  survive,  and  in  1854  evidence  was  obtained  which  sets 
the  melancholy  fate  beyond  all  doubt.  An  enterprising 
traveller,  Dr.  Rae,  while  engaged  in  making  a  survey  of 
the  shores  of  Boothia,  fell  in  with  some  Esquimaux  who 
told  him  of  the  death  by  famine  in  the  year  1850  of  a 
company  of  white  men  about  forty  in  number.  Dr.  Rae 
was  unable  to  attempt  to  reach  the  spot  at  which  this  event 
occurred;  but  he  obtained  from  the  Esquimaux,  in  con- 
firmation of  their  story,  many  articles  known  to  have  be- 
longed to  the  lost  voyagers,  which  had  been  found  on  the 
scene  of  the  sad  tragedy,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Back. 

Extensive  discoveries,  in  a  very  different  region,  and  it 
is  hoped  of  much  more  practical  utility,  have  been  recently 
made  in  the  interior  of  Africa.  Dr.  David  Livingstone,  an 
adventurous  missionary  traveller,  returned  to  England  in 
the  winter  of  1856,  after  a  period  of  more  than  sixteen 
years  spent  in  the  heart  of  that  great  continent.     In  thai 

What  is  said  of  Captain  McClure  and  Sir  John  Franklin  ? 
By  whom  were  discoveries  made  ir  Africa  ? 


ENGLISH     HISTORY.  407 

Lime  he  traversed  about  11,000  miles,  the  greater  portion 
of  that  long  distance  through  a  country  never  before  visited 
by  any  European.  In  the  vast  tracts  of  Africa  so  nth  of  the 
equator,  Dr.  Livingstone  found  flourishing  kingdoms  and  an 
intelligent  population,  inhabiting  a  fertile  country  situated 
in  a  not  unfavorable  climate.  This  territory  is  traversed 
by  a  fine  navigable  river,  the  Zambesi,  flowing  into  the 
Mozambique  channel. 

In  the  year  1853  a  war  broke  out  between  Kussia  and 
Turkey,  in  which  England  and  France  were  speedily  called 
upon,  as  allies  of  Turkey,  to  take  a  principal  share.  This 
memorable  and  important  war  arose  out  of  an  attempt  on 
the  part  of  the  Russian  Emperor  Nicholas  I.  to  take  ad- 
vantage of  the  weakness  of  Turkey  for  the  purpose  of  ex- 
tending his  own  influence  and  dominions  in  the  direction 
of  Constantinople.  His  whole  design  extended  to  a  com- 
plete dismemberment  of  the  Turkish  empire.  He  even 
ventured  to  propose  to  Sir  Hamilton  Seymour,  the  British 
ambassador  at  St.  Petersburg,  that  our  own  country  should 
connive  at  his  project,  seizing  Egypt,  or  some  other  im- 
portant possession,  as  our  share  of  the  spoil. 

In  pursuance  of  these  ambitious  projects,  the  Emperor 
Nicholas  ordered  Prince  Menzikoff,  his  ambassador  at 
Constantinople,  to  make  various  demands  which  the  Sultan 
could  not  possibly  grant,  and,  in  short,  to  pick  a  quarrel 
with  him.  On  the  refusal  of  these  demands  the  ambassa- 
dor left  Constantinople,  May  22d.  On  the  2d  of  July  the 
Russian  army  crossed  the  Pruth,  the  boundary  between 
Russia  and  Turkey,  and  took  possession  of  Wallachia  and 
Moldavia,  these  being  the  whole  of  the  Turkish  territories 
north  of  the  Danube.  This  was  the  real  beginning  of  the 
war,  which  was  formally  declared  against  Russia  by  the 
Porte  in  September,  1853,  and  by  France  and  England  in 
the  March  following. 

The  first  heavy  blow  was  struck  by  Russia.  A  power- 
nil  fleet  from  Sebastopol  surprised  a  small  and  unde- 
fended Turkish  squadron  in  the  harbor  of  Sinope,  and 


What  war  broke  out  in  1853  ? 

What  was  the  cause  ? 

What  were  the  designs  of  Russia  1 


408  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

totally  destroyed  it.  This  disaster  occurred  November 
30th. 

The  early  spring  of  the  following  year  was  occupied  by 
a  campaign  on  the  Danube,  in  which  the  Turks  under 
Omar  Pacha  displayed  unexpected  steadiness :  with  very 
inferior  numbers  they  repulsed  the  Russians  in  many  en- 
gagements, and  concluded  a  successful  campaign  by  the 
brilliant  defence  of  Silistria,  from  which  the  Turks,  aided 
by  two  British  officers,  drove  back  the  enemy  with  great 
loss.  Shortly  afterward  the. Principalities  in  which  the 
war  had  broken  out  were  occupied,  at  the  request  of  the 
Turkish  government,  and  with  the  acquiescence  of  Russia, 
by  Austrian  troops ;  and  these  provinces  thus  became  for 
the  time  neutral,  and  the  war  was  removed  to  another 
scene. 

For  many  years  the  Russians  had  been  engaged  in  forti- 
fying the  harbor  of  Sebastopol  in  the  Crimea,  in  building 
extensive  docks  and  arsenals,  and  in  collecting  a  large 
fleet  and  warlike  stores  of  every  kind.  The  whole  of  the 
Crimean  peninsula  was  a  comparatively  recent  acquisition 
of  this  great  power,  having  been  taken  from  Turkey  in 
1783,  and  this  military  establishment  on  its  shores  was 
now  manifestly  designed  for  aggression  upon  the  Turkish 
dominions.  Accordingly,  the  English  and  French  generals, 
who  had  arrived  at  Yarna,  resolved  to  attempt  its  destruc- 
tion, and  an  allied  army  of  56,000  men  was  transported 
across  the  Black  Sea,  and  safely  landed  on  the  14th  of 
September,  1854,  on  the  shore  of  the  Crimea,  a  few  miles 
south  of  the  small  town  of  Eupatoria.  The  British  were 
commanded  by  Lord  Raglan,  a  division  being  under  the 
orders  of  the  Duke  of  Cambridge,  and  the  French  by 
Marshal  St.  Arnaud.  The  united  army  immediately  began 
its  march  toward  Sebastopol.  On  September  the  20th 
they  came  in  presence  of  the  Russians  under  Prince  Men- 
zikoff,  who  had  taken  up  a  strong  position  on  a  range  of 
heights  on  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  Alma.  After  p. 
short  but  bloody  contest  the  English  and  French  stormed 


What  occurred  on  the  Danube  ? 

What  place  was  strongly  fortified  ? 

What  was  the  number  of  the  allied  army  ? 

Who  commanded  the  English  ?  who  the  French  ? 


EXGLISH     HISTORY.  409 

the  heights,  and  the  enemy  retreated  in  confusion  to  Se- 
bastopol.  The  victor?  continued  their  inarch,  and  by  a 
detour  to  the  left  arrived  on  the  25th  at  the  village  of 
Balaklava,  of  which  they  took  possession,  together  with 
the  small  but  safe  harbor  of  the  same  name.  A  few  days 
later  commenced  the  siege  of  Sebastopol,  a  siege  memora- 
ble for  its  length,  for  the  endurance  and  pertinacity  shown 
both  in  the  attack  and  in  the  defence,  for  many  acts  of 
heroism  on  both  sides,  for  the  great  scale  on  wThich  the 
operations  were  conducted,  and  it  must  be  added,  for  the 
unparalleled  sufferings  of  nearly  all  who  took  part  in  it 
The  first  grand  attack  took  place  on  the  17th  of  October, 
with  a  general  bombardment  both  by  sea  and  land.  This 
attack  produced  little  impression,  but  the  fire  of  the  Rus- 
sian forts  and  of  the  newly-raised  intrenchments  inflicted 
considerable  loss  on  the  allies,  especially  on  tlie  English 
<Bhips  and  the  French  batteries. 

Among  the  incidents  of  this  great  siege  were  the  dis- 
astrous action  of  Balaklava  (October  25th),  in  which  the 
British  light  cavalry  brigade  made  a  charge,  from  which 
not  one-third  of  the  whole  body  returned;  and  the  des- 
perate fight  of  Inkerman  (November  5th),  in  which  the 
British  were  assailed  under  every  disadvantage  by  an  over- 
whelming force.  On  that  day  the  Coldstream  Guards 
crossed  bayonets  with  fresh  bands  of  the  enemy  eleven 
times;  and  the  British  infantry  having  exhausted  their 
cartridges  were  defending  themselves  with  -stones,  and  the 
butt-ends  of  their  muskets,  when  a  French  division  under 
General  Bosquet  came  to  their  support,  and  the  Russians 
were  driven  back  with  heavy  loss.  Throughout  the  whole 
winter  the  privations  endured  by  the  British  troops,  were 
most  severe.  The  inclemency  of  the  weather,  the  severity 
of  the  labor  entailed  by  the  great  extent  of  the  trenches, 
and  the  insufficient  supplies  of  food  and  clothing — all  these 
causes  produced  an  excessive  mortality  among  our  troops, 
especially  among  the  new  recruits  and  fresh  regiments. 
All  this  time  the  Russians  also  were  su tiering  very  great 


What  place  did  they  besiege? 

When  and  how  was  made  the  first  attack  ? 

What  desperate  fight  occurred  ? 

What  were  the  pr/  vations  of  the  British  troojw  ¥ 


410  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

losses  and  privations,  chiefly  in  the  long  and  arduous  land 
march,  by  which  alone  reinforcements  could  be  sent  to  the 


During  the  whole  of  this  trying  time  intense  anxiety 
was  of  course  felt  at  home.  The  management  of  the  war 
became  the  subject  of  great  agitation  throughout  the 
country,  and  a  violent  attack  was  made  in  parliament  on 
Lord  Aberdeen's  government.  The  result  of  this  move- 
ment was  the  fall  of  that  minister,  and  the  establishment 
of  a  new  administration  under  Lord  Palmerston. 

With  the  beginning  of  spring,  the  efforts,  private  and 
public,  made  for  the  comfort  and  relief  of  our  troops,  be- 
gan to  tell ;  the  condition  of  the  army  rapidly  improved, 
and  the  besiegers  gained  ground.  Among  the  efforts  here 
referred  to,  several  were  complete  novelties  in  the  annals 
of  war.  A  railway  was  constructed  from  Balaklava  to  the 
camp  for  the  conveyance  of  stores  and  artillery.  A  sub- 
marine telegraph  was  laid  under  the  Black  Sea,  bringing  the 
allied  camp  into  immediate  communication  with  Paris  and 
London.  Least  of  all  should  it  be  forgotten  that  during  the 
progress  of  this  siege  a  number  of  English  ladies  went  out  as 
nurses  in  the  military  hospitals,  at  Scutari  and  elsewhere, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Miss  Florence  Nightingale. 
The  ministrations  of  this  devoted  band  were  completely 
successful.  The  influence  and  example  of  Miss  Nightingale 
and  her  companions  introduced  many  salutary  reforms  into 
the  treatment  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  while  their 
personal  attention  to  the  sufferers  touched  their  feelings 
and  cheered  their  spirits  in  the  very  highest  degree.  At 
this  period  the  alliance  was  strengthened  by  the  accession 
of  Sardinia,  and  a  small  but  well-appointed  army  from  that 
kingdom  shortly  afterward  joined  the  besieging  force. 

As  the  spring  advanced  the  siege  was  pushed  with  great 
vigor.  Eepeated  bombardments  inflicted  terrible  loss  upon 
the  garrison.  Still  the  defence  was  conducted  with  the 
utmost  obstinacy.  An  assault  made  simultaneously  by  the 
English  and  French  on  the  18th  of  June  was  repulsed  with 

What  is  said  of  Lord  Aberdeen  and  Lord  Palmerston  ? 
What  efforts  were  made  for  the  relief  of  the  soldiers  ? 
Who  among  the  English  ladies  was  foremost  in  the  good  work  ? 
What  is  said  of  Sardinia  ? 


ENGLISH    EIISTORY.  411 

loss,  and  it  was  not  till  the  8th  of  September  that  a  deci- 
sive success  was  gained.  On  that  day  the  Malakhoff 
tower  was  taken  by  assault  by  Marshal  Pelissier,  who  had 
now  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  French  troops. 
At  the  same  time  a  part  of  the  defences  called  the  Redan 
was  assaulted  by  the  British,  entered,  and  held  for  nearly 
two  hours.  At  length  our  brave  troops,  too  few  to  advance 
further,  and  exposed  to  a  destructive  fire  from  the  interior 
defences,  were  compelled  to  retreat  to  their  own  lines  with 
heavy  loss.  However,  the  success  of  the  French  was  de- 
cisive. The  whole  town  was  commanded  by  the  Malakhoff, 
and  was  now  no  longer  tenable.  The  Russians  retreated 
in  the  course  of  the  night  across  the  harbor  to  the  fortified 
heights  on  the  northern  side.  At  the  same  time  they  de- 
stroyed the  remnant  of  their  own  fleet,  of  which  the  greater 
part  had  been  sunk  across  the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  as  a  bar 
to  the  entrance  of  the  allied  ships,  at  the  very  commence- 
ment of  the  siege.  On  the  next  day  the  allies  took  posses- 
sion of  Sebastopol.  No  further  change  of  importance  took 
place  in  the  position  of  the  contending  forces  in  the  Crimea 
until  the  peace.  The  interval  was  employed  by  the  French 
and  English  engineers  in  blowing  up  the  docks  and  fortifi- 
cations, and  removing  the  cannon  and  other  military  and 
naval  stores. 

The  throne  of  Russia  was  now  occupied  by  the  young 
Emperor  Alexander  II.  His  father,  Nicholas,  the  origina- 
tor of  the  war  had  died  on  the  2d  of  March  in  this  event- 
ful year  (1855),  of  a  broken  heart.  Both  the  English  and 
French  generals  who  had  led  the  allied  forces  in  the  first 
invasion  of  Russian  territory  were  also  dead ;  Marshal  St. 
Arnaud  having  survived  the  victory  of  the  Alma  only  a 
very  few  days,  and  Lord  Raglan  having  died  just  ten  days 
after  the  bloody  repulse  of  the  18th  of  June. 

The  taking  of  Sebastopol  was  the  turning-point  of  the 
war.  In  other  parts  operations  were  less  decisive,  because 
there  were  no  means  of  bringing  the  enemy  to  action.     In 


What  place  did  the  British  capture  ? 

What  did  the  Russians  do  ? 

What  stronghold  was  now  taken  ? 

Who  of  the  generals  died  ? 

What  was  the  turning-point  of  the  war? 


412  ENGLISH    HISTORY. 

the  North,  in  the  two  years  1854  and  1855,  our  fleets, 
throughout  all  the  months  during  which  the  Baltic  is  un- 
frozen, swept  that  sea  unresisted,  the  Russian  fleet  shelter- 
ing itself  behind  the  fortifications  of  Cronstadt.  The  only 
events  of  importance  in  that  quarter  were  the  taking  of  the 
strong  fortress  of  Bomarsund  in  the  Aland  Isles  in  1854, 
and  the  bombardment  of  Sweaborg  in  1855.  On  the  lat- 
ter occasion  steam  gunboats  were  employed  with  great 
success. 

Vessels  of  the  same  class  were  also  found  highly  effective 
in  a  series  of  operations  in  the  Sea  of  Azoff  and  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Dnieper.  In  these  quarters  the  English  and 
French  inflicted  great  loss  on  the  enemy  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  stores  and  magazines,  upon  which  their  armies  de- 
pended for  support. 

The  only  considerable  success  obtained  by  the  Russians, 
to  set  off  against  so  many  reverses,  was  on  the  side  of 
Armenia,  where  the  important  town  of  Kars  was  sur- 
rendered to  them  (November  26,  1855).  Even  there  the 
Turkish  troops,  though  wretchedly  appointed  and  provided, 
made  a  most  gallant  defence,  and  were  reduced  at  last 
only  by  famine.  The  honor  of  the  defence  is  principally 
due  to  an  English  officer  who  conducted  it,  General,  now 
Sir  "William  Fenwick  Williams  of  Kars. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  year  1856  a  negotiation  for 
peace  was  set  on  foot  at  Vienna,  and  a  suspension  of  hos- 
tilities agreed  on.  This  negotiation  happily  proceeded  to 
a  successful  conclusion,  and  a  treaty  was  signed  at  Paris 
(March  30th).  The  great  object  of  the  war,  the  security 
of  Turkey,  is  effectually  provided  for  by  several  articles  of 
tbis  treaty,  especially  by  one  in  which  the  navigation  of 
the  Black  Sea  is  forbidden  to  the  ships-of-war  of  all  na- 
tions. But  perhaps  the  most  important  effect  of  all  the 
events  of  the  two  years  of  the  war  has  been  the  correction 
of  the  very  exaggerated  estimate  of  the  military  power  of 
Russia,  which  had  prevailed  ever  since  the  disastrous  re 
treat  of  Napoleon  from  Moscow  in  1812.    The  total  loss  to 


"What  was  done  by  the  British  fleet  in  the  Baltic  ? 
Who  defended  the  town  of  Kars  ? 
When  and  where  was  peace  concluded? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  41 U 

the  British  army  during  the  war  was  stated  at  about  4,000 
who  were  killed  or  died  of  their  wounds,  15,000  who  died 
of  disease,  and  3,000  disabled. 

In  the  year  1852  a  war  took  place  with  the  Callre  tribes 
In  South  Africa,  and  another  with  the  Burmese  Empire. 
In  1856  hostilities  broke  out  with  Persia  in  consequence 
of  the  seizure  by  that  power,  influenced  as  was  supposed 
by  Russian  intrigues,  of  the  city  of  Herat.  These  were 
brought  to  a  speedy  and  favorable  conclusion  by  the  cap* 
ture  (December  9th)  of  Bushire  on  the  Persian  Gulf  by  a 
force  which  had  been  dispatched  from  Bombay  under 
General  Outram. 

In  the  same  year  a  dispute  arose  with  China  on  the  sub- 
ject of  an  alleged  breach  of  treaty  by  the  seizure  of  a 
small  vessel,  called  a  lorcha,  trading  under  the  English 
flag  in  the  Canton  river.  This  trifling  question  grew  into 
a  serious  contest  in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  Yeh,  the 
Chinese  viceroy  of  Canton,  to  enter  into  any  communica- 
tion with  the  British  Admiral.*  Several  attacks  were  con- 
sequently made  on  Canton  and  the  neighboring  forts,  but 
these  operations  afterward  slackened,  in  consequence  of 
the  sudden  and  urgent  demand  for  troops  occasioned  by 
the  breaking  out  of  the  great  mutiny  in  India,  presently  to 
be  related.  Hostilities  were,  h  owever,  resumed  in  the  spring 
of  the  present  year  (1858).  Canton  was  stormed,  and  Yeli 
taken  prisoner.  Later  in  the  season  an  expedition  was 
sent  up  the  river  Peiho,  by  which  the  capital  itself  of  the 
Chinese  empire  was  seriously  threatened.  These  proceed- 
ings have  been  entirely  successful,  and  a  treaty  of  peace 
has  been  concluded  at  Tien-sin,  which  provides  for  the 
toleration  of  Christianity,  and  for  a  large  increase  of  inter- 
course between  Europe  and  that  vast  territory. 

In  1857  a  most  formidable  insurrection  broke  out  in  the 
Indian  army.  For  many  years  the  East  India  Company 
had  maintained  a  large  force  of  native  troops  under  British 


What  was  the  total  loss  of  the  British  army  ? 

Where  did  other  wars  break  out  ? 

Why  the  dispute  with  China  ? 

What  place  was  captured,  and  who  taken  prisoner  ? 

Was  Christianity  tolerated  by  treaty  ? 

Did  an  insurrection  break  out  in  India  ? 


414.  ENGLISH    HISTORT. 

officers,  and  armed  and  disciplined  in  the  European  man 
ner.  These  Sepoys,  as  they  were  called,  were  a  fine  body 
of  men,  and  had  done  excellent  service  in  many  wars;  and 
notwithstanding  several  instances  of  insubordination,  very 
great  confidence  was  placed  in  them  generally. 

The  cause  of  the  outbreak  is  even  now  scarcely  certain. 
Some  strange,  unfounded  suspicion  of  an  attempt  about  to 
be  made  by  the  British  authorities  for  their  forcible  con- 
version to  Christianity  seems  to  have  found  its  way  into 
the  minds  of  the  Sepoys,  both  Mohammedan  and  Hindoo. 
This  alarm  was  founded,  or  pretended  to  be  founded,  on 
the  issue  of  new  cartridges,  adapted  to  the  improved  fire- 
arms now  used  by  all  our  infantry,  and  which  it  was  sup- 
posed were  greased  with  the  fat  either  of  the  cow,  which 
is  a  sacred  animal  with  the  Brahmins,  the  highest  caste  of 
Hindoos,  or  of  swine,  which  are  an  abomination  to  the 
Mohammedans,  as  to  the  Jews. 

The  first  very  serious  outbreak  of  this  mutiny  took  place 
early  in  May,  at  Meerut,  a  military  station  about  thirty 
miles  to  the  north  of  Delhi.  The  insurgents  murdered 
their  officers  and  their  families,  and  marched  to  Delhi, 
where  they  were  joined  by  the  garrison,  consisting  entirely 
of  native  regiments,  and  the  atrocities  committed  at  Meerut 
were  here  repeated.  They  also  took  the  nominal  king  of 
Delhi,  the  lineal  descendant  of  the  Mogul  sovereigns,  a 
feeble  old  man,  who  was  then  living  in  that  magnificent 
capital  a  pensioner  of  the  East  India  Company,  and  pro- 
claimed him  Emperor  of  India. 

Throughout  the  vast  plain  of  the  Ganges  the  native 
regiments  mutinied  one  after  another,  till  the  great  Bengal 
army  absolutely  ceased  to  exist.  In  some  stations  the 
British  officers  were  sufficiently  forewarned  to  enable  them 
to  escape :  in  others  they  were  ruthlessly  murdered,  with 
Lheir  wives  and  children,  by  the  troops  they  had  lately 
commanded.  Those  who  escaped  either  took  refuge  in  a 
few  hastily  fortified  places,  or  joined  the  only  force  still 
able  to  keep  the  field  for  the  British  government.  This 
force,  though  far   outnumbered  by  the  trained  soldiers 

What  were  the  causes  of  the  war  ? 

Where  was  the  first  outbreak  ?  anions  what  troops  ? 


ENGLISH     HISTORY.  415 

composing  the  rebel  garrison  of  Delhi,  was  yet  boldly 
posted  in  tbe  attitude  of  a  besieging  army  in  front  of  that 
great  capital,  and  held  its  ground  till  joined  by  reinforce- 
ments of  both  British  troops  and  Sikh  auxiliaries,  whom 
Sir  John  Lawrence,  governor  of  the  Punjab,  had  dis- 
patched to  its  succor.  This  little  army,  thus  strengthened, 
assaulted  and  took  Delhi,  capturing  the  king  and  his  family, 
on  the  20th  of  September,  before  a  single  soldier  from 
England  had  arrived  on  the  scene  of  action. 

In  the  mean  time,  at  Cawnpore  on  the  Ganges,  and  at 
Lucknow,  the  capital  of  Oude — a  turbulent  district,  which 
had  been  annexed  only  the  year  before  to  the  East  India 
Company's  dominions — parties  of  English  were  surrounded 
by  the  insurgents.  At  both  places  •  a  large  number  of 
women  and  children  had  taken  refuge.  At  Cawnpore  the 
means  of  defence  were  soon  exhausted,  and  the  garrison 
was  reduced  to  the  greatest  distress.  A  native  chief,  Nana 
Sahib,  in  whom  the  British  thought  that  they  had  reason 
to  place  confidence,  had  taken  command  of  the  besiegers. 
To  this  traitor  General  Wheeler,  the  commanding  officer 
in  Cawnpore,  in  an  evil  hour  capitulated,  under  a  solemn 
pledge  of  safe  conveyance  by  water  to  Allahabad.  On  the 
faith  of  this  agreement,  men,  women,  and  children  all 
gladly  went  on  board  the  boats  provided  for  them,  but 
were  scarcely  afloat  when  they  were  fired  on  and  massacred 
(June  27th),  with  the  exception  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  women  and  children,  who  were  taken  back  into  Cawn-  ( 
pore  as  prisoners.  But  these  also  were  murdered  in  cold 
blood  a  short  time  afterward  (July  16th).  The  occasion 
of  this  savage  deed  was  the  victorious  approach  of  General 
Havelock.  This  brave  man,  the  very  pattern  of  Christian 
chivalry,  with  no  more  than  2,000  followers,  drove  the 
rebels  through  Cawnpore,  defeated  them  again  at  Bithoor, 
and  immediately  set  out  on  the  desperate  attempt  to  raise 
the  siege  of  the  Residency  at  Lucknow. 

About  half-way  between  Cawnpore  and  Lucknow,  thiri 

By  whom  was  Delhi  captured  ? 

Did  the  mutineers  commit  great  outrages  ? 

Who  was  Nana  Sahib  ? 

The  surrender  of  Cawnpore  ?  the  treatment  of  the  prisoners  ? 

Who  was  General  Havelock  ?  his  character  ? 


416  ENGLISH    HISTORY, 

little  band  of  heroes,  now  sadly  reduced,  gained  its  nil  th 
victory  over  a  force  of  rebels  many  times  exceeding  their 
own  in  numbers.  But  they  were  now  too  much  weakened 
by  their  very  successes  to  be  able  to  proceed  farther,  and 
found  it  absolutely  necessary  to  return  to  Cawnpore,  there 
to  await  that  help  which  they  knew  was  coming.  Happily 
this  arrived  before  it  was  too  late.  General  Havelock  was 
joined  by  Sir  James  Outram  with  fresh  troops;  and  these 
two  brave  men  then  immediately  advanced,  and  after  des- 
perate fighting,  and  with  terrible  loss,  led  their  troops  into 
the  Residency  of  Lucknow  (September  25th),  where  they 
found  its  defenders  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  Even 
then  it  was  impossible  to  withdraw  the  garrison,  incum- 
bered as  it  was  with  numerous  sick  and  wounded,  besides 
several  hundred  women  and  children,  in  the  face  of  an 
enemy  so  many  times  superior  in  numbers :  they  therefore 
joined  their  forces  to  those  of  the  garrison,  and  after  re- 
pairing and  extending  the  fortifications  of  the  place,  re- 
mained on  the  defensive. 

At  this  time  the  troops  which  had  been  sent  from  Eng- 
land began  to  arrive.  Sir  Colin  Campbell,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  the  command,  reached  Cawnpore  in  Novem- 
ber, and  by  a  series  of  most  skilful  operations  and  brilliant 
victories  broke  through  the  lines  of  the  besiegers,  and 
finally  rescued  the  brave  defenders  of  the  Residency  with 
all  the  women  and  children,  and  brought  them  off  in  per- 
fect safety,  after  a  siege  of  no  less  than  five  months'  dura- 
tion. Not  many  days  after  this  happy  deliverance  the 
brave  General  Havelock  died  from  the  exhaustion  conse- 
quent on  his  long  exertions  and  anxieties.  With  his  name 
must  be  mentioned  those  of  Niel,  Nicholson,  and  many 
other  heroes  whose  loss  their  country  had  to  deplore  dur- 
ing this  disastrous  struggle.  Sir  Colin  Campbell's  flood 
of  good  fortune  did  not  desert  him.  He  rapidly  followed 
up  his  great  success,  defeating  and  dispersing  the  mutineers 
on  every  side,  taking  their  towns,  and  reducing  them  to  a 
mere  mass  of  fugitives. 

Did  he  gain  many  victories  ? 

Who  brought  fresh  troops  ? 

What  is  said  of  Lucknow  r 

What  is  said  of  the  success  of  Sir  Colin  Campbell  ? 


ENGLISH    HISTORY.  417 

Thus,  by  the  firm  attitude  assumed  by  the  British  in 
India,  surprised  and  outnumbered  as  they  were,  and  placed 
in  a  position  of  unexampled  peril,  by  the  prompt  and 
powerful  support  sent  out  from  home,  and  by  the  dis 
tinguished  talent  and  valor  of  their  commanders,  and  of 
many  other  most  able  men  in  every  rank  and  of  all  condi- 
tions, the  most  formidable  military  revolt  which  has  ever 
been  known  was  crushed  into  mere  fragments  in  less  than 
a  year.  It  is  likewise  to  be  observed  that  throughout  the 
whole  of  this  critical  period,  neither  the  mass  of  the  popu- 
lation of  India  nor  the  princes  of  the  country  have  shown 
any  sympathy  with  the  mutineers.  The  insurrection  was, 
moreover,  confined  to  the  Bengal  Presidency,  the  Madras 
and  Bombay  troops  having,  with  few  exceptions,  proved 
trustworthy. 

A  most  important  change  in  the  government  of  India, 
of  which  the  necessity  had  long  been  foreseen,  has  been 
accelerated  by  the  events  which  have  been  now  related. 
The  great  East  India  Company  was  abolished,  and  its  vast 
empire  transferred  to  the  direct  dominion  of  the  Crown, 
September  1,  1858. 

The  state  of  the  English  royal  family  is  now  as  follows  : 
A  Princess  Koyal,  Victoria  Adelaide  Mary  Louisa,  born 
November  21,  1840;  Albert  Edward,  Prince  of  Wales, 
born  November  9,  1841 ;  Alice  Maud  Mary,  born  April 
25,  1843;  Alfred  Ernest  Albert,  born  August  6,  1844; 
Helena  Augusta  Victoria,  born  May  25,  1846;  Louisa 
Caroline  Alberta,  born  March  8,  1848;  Arthur  (named 
after  the  Duke  of  Wellington),  born  May  1,  1850;  Leo- 
pold George  Duncan  Albert,  born  April  7,  1853;  and 
Beatrice  Mary  Victoria  Feodore,  born  April  14,  1857. 

The  Princess  Koyal  is  now  the  Princess  Frederick  Wil- 
liam of  Prussia,  having  married  (January  25,  1858)  the 
King  of  Prussia's  eldest  nephew,  and  after  his  father  the 
heir  of  that  crown. 

Prince  Albert  diea  December  14, 1861,  deeply  lamented 
by  the  English  people. 

Did  the  mass  of  the  population  show  sympathy  with  the  mutineers  ? 
What  change  was  made  in  the  government  of  India  ? 
What  is  said  of  the  royal  family  ? 


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